Breaking Through the Haze
by Charmedfan90
Summary: Sequel to A Sister's Love. Read that first or you will be confused! Will he be doomed as a prince of Evil..or will he Break Through the Haze?
1. Chapter 1

The clouds stormed above K035, shrouding darkness around the scenery. Rain started to fall from the sky, slowing bringing the unconscious from the ground. Karone let out a groan, and was met with smell of wet earth, mixed with something horrible. Karone squeezed her eyes shut hoping she was just waking up from a dream, but still felt the shackles, restraining her arms. "Karone…" Zhane managed to croak out, not being able to tell if she was breathing or not. Letting out another groan, Karone tried to turn around to face Zhane. Reality had set in for Zhane, but he knew that he had to hold back, and make sure Karone was going to be ok before he finally let out what he was feeling.

Focusing on her shackles, he telekinetically unlocked her from her shackles, before doing the same with his. The rain turned from a slight drizzle, to all out downpour, as Zhane and Karone once again got used to their surroundings. Zhane looked around at the bodies surrounding the area, and reached out for Karone, trying to turn her away from their fallen teammates…their friends. Guilt was sinking into Zhane. Him and Karone were the only survivors of Demios' slaughter of their friends…something he now knew what soldiers went through in history books…survivor's guilt.

Zhane finally managed to grab a hold of Karone's shoulder, and gently turned her away from the bodies. "We-," Karone managed to choke out finally. "We…ne…need to get their morphers," Karone managed to whisper. Zhane shook his head, as Karone tried to turn back around.

"Just…" Zhane swallowed, forcing the tears back so Karone could be spared. "Stand over there…" he whispered hoarsely, "I'll…"

"Zhane…" she whimpered. She opened her mouth again to protest, but Zhane shook his head. Before Zhane could even take a step towards any of the now lifeless bodies, his morpher shown red, and two morphers appeared in Zhane's hands, and the other two in Karone's. The bodies disappeared in a swirl of lights, and they teleported back to the ship. Karone felt for anything to support her weight as her knees started to give out on her.

Zhane's arm wrapped around Karone's shoulders, and led her towards one of the consoles to sit down. Tears once again falling down her cheeks, and sobs racked her body. The morphers that were in her hands dropped to the floor, and Zhane knelt down next to her, no idea how to comfort her. Tears also slipping out of his eyes, Zhane slowly wrapped his arms around his sobbing girlfriend, and she eagerly leaned into him. He still had no idea what he could say to ease the pain that was hurting Karone, and it was slowly getting harder to ignore the pain developing in his chest.

"What…what are we supposed to do?" Karone cried into his shoulder, tightening her arms around him tightly. "I…I…" Zhane made a shushing noise, and rubbed her back, trying to coax her into letting all of her emotions out. Zhane felt sobs trying to come towards him but once again pushed them down.

"I don't know," Zhane whispered, running his hand through her hair.

On the other side of the galaxy, four tattered and dirty Rangers climbed into a shuttle. All four watched the remains of the Command Center smolder and burn before them. Ashley had to look away. It couldn't really be happening like this.

"Where are we going?" Cassie asked, watching TJ program something into the console.

"After them. We have to find Zordon," TJ answered. The shuttle fell into silence as they were hurtled into space. The Earth began to grow smaller and they knew they were leaving home. Ashley dabbed the corners of her eyes as best she could.

"We'll find him," Carlos said, trying to comfort her.

"I know," Ashley breathed, trying to compose herself.

The shuttle continued on its path through the stars, drawing ever closer to the Mega ship. Inside, Zhane and Karone too had fallen into silence. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the images of her friends dying. Each image brought fresh tears that simply slipped down her cheeks. "I...why would he do this?" she sniffled. She knew Zhane wouldn't have an answer but she needed to ask it anyways.

"I wish I knew, Karone. But...we can't stop fighting," Zhane answered, trying to be strong for her. She numbly nodded her head, and tried to pull away from Zhane's embrace. He held her against him, once again staving off the flow of tears trying to enter his eyes again.

"Come on...I think we both need some rest," Zhane breathed, pulling her to her feet. Slowly he led her to their quarters. The ship felt so deserted without the rest of the team. He helped her out of her blood stained clothes and climbed out of his as well. They grabbed a brief shower, letting the water beat against their bodies. Zhane dressed quickly and helped her with her nightgown.

"I love you," he murmured against her hair as he encircled her in his arms.

Out in space, the Earth rangers continued to spiral towards the Megaship. It was now that they realized they were on a collision course.

"TJ...change course. We're going to hit that ship," Cassie said.

"I'm trying but it's like the ship is pulling us towards it," TJ replied just as the Megaship opened up and a visible magnetic field appeared, pulling the shuttle inside.

"What just happened?" Carlos asked.

"I have no idea," TJ replied.

"I think we should stay here," Ashley voiced.

"I think we need to figure out why this ship pulled us in," TJ countered. With a sigh, Ashley unbuckled and followed the team off the shuttle.

In their room, Karone began to stir, the images of earlier still filling her thoughts. She sat up but managed not to wake Zhane.

As she ran a hand through her hair she felt the ship lurch.

"DECA what's going on?" she whispered.

"We have received a sh-" The computer began but Karone didn't listen. She was on her feet and heading for the bridge. She scanned the ship and found four human life forms in the holding bay. Something inside of her leapt. Maybe it had all really been a bad dream. Her feet moved as quickly as she could make them go to the holding bay. She hit the keypad and the doors slid open. Before her stood four very dirty and downtrodden teenagers. Zhane had woken shortly after Karone had. He looked around wildly.

"DECA where is Karone?" he demanded.

"She has gone to the holding bay," the computer answered.

Zhane grabbed an astro blaster on his way down to the bay, unsure of what he would find. He found Karone staring at the four intruders and he quickly put himself between them.

"It's not them," Karone murmured, beginning to cry again. It wasn't a dream. She had been hoping that they would be her friends but they were strangers. Zhane lowered the astro blaster in his hands, and turned his body slightly to Karone, still keeping a wary eye at the strangers in front of them. "It wasn't a dream…" she murmured, and Zhane felt the scratch in his heart deepen as sobs started to wrack her body. Zhane turned his

"Sh…" he said, "Karone…" he whispered, kissing her softly on the forehead. Taking a look at the people in front of them, he turned back to Karone. "Karone…go back inside…I'll see what they want ok?" he said softly, gently beckoning her towards the direction of their room.

Too tired, and not have the will to argue with him, she squeezed his hand tightly before going towards their room again. "Is she ok?" A girl asked, and Zhane turned to her, and was surprised not to feel any anger towards her.

"What…are you doing here?" Zhane asked, ignoring the question that the girl in yellow asked.

"We were kind of pulled in here…" TJ said, folding his arms across his chest. "We thought that you had pulled us in," he said, as he felt his suspicions leave as he saw Zhane's face playing out with emotions.

"Well…neither of us let you in as far as I know…" Zhane said, tucking the Astro Blaster away, feeling he could trust the people in front of him. Deciding to let them on the ship, "Um…lets get you out of here so we can talk," he said, pulling back to let them in. The ship started to rock a bit. "DECA…what's going on?" Zhane asked as the ship lurched again.

"Dark Fortress is heading towards the ship," DECA's cool voice answered. Zhane felt his stomach turn, and he knew he needed to get out of the Dark Fortress's sights.

"Strap yourselves in," Zhane commanded suddenly, and none of them objected as he tried to throw the ship away from the Dark Fortress. Karone walked back onto the bridge, putting on a brave front, not willing to let Zhane handle this by himself. Zhane saw Karone in his peripheral vision, and saw her run next to him, manning the co-pilot controls. Zhane glanced at Karone, worry etched into his face.

"I'm ok," she whispered, hiding her pain with a determined look on her face. Zhane didn't object, but still couldn't help but feel worried about her still. Carlos glanced at Ashley, and saw she was a little scared. He reached his hand out towards hers, and grasped it. She looked at Carlos, and felt him squeeze her hand gently. She lightly squeezed his hand back, and turned her gaze towards Zhane and Karone once again.

Finally they managed to lose the Dark Fortress, and they stopped. Zhane put a hand on her knee, and her hand went down on top of his, lightly squeezing it. They turned towards the Earth Rangers, and had no idea what to say.


	2. Chapter 2

Rah thanks again for the help!

For now, they were safe.

"What...was that?" Cassie asked. Neither Zhane nor Karone answered her. They just sunk into their seats, hearts pounding in their chests. Karone felt cold in her thin nightgown and she gave a visible shiver as she tried to keep herself together. She didn't know who these people were but Zhane seemed to trust them and that was good enough for her. Finally Zhane looked over at the newcomers.

"That... that was the most vile creature in the galaxy," Zhane spat.

"I thought Divatox was pretty vile," Carlos mumbled.

"Did she ever kill anyone?" Karone blurted. Zhane reached out to take her hand. She didn't need to relive the events again, not now.

"I...I don't know," Cassie murmured.

"Come on, you should go back to bed," Zhane said softly, beginning to guide her off the bridge.

"I can't sleep. It just happens over and over," Karone protested, pulling her arm from his grip. Zhane let his arm fall to his side, and sighed, not in any mood to fight with her. If being awake was better than closing her eyes seeing the death of their friends, he wasn't going to stop her.

Zhane saw her shiver again, and tentatively wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She unconsciously leaned into him, feeling that he was warm. "Karone…" he whispered softly, "you are freezing. Why don't you go get something a little warmer on?" he suggested as he put a hand under her chin to have her gaze at his face. "Ok?"

"Ok," Karone murmured, reluctantly pulling herself from Zhane's embrace to grab something else on. Zhane turned around to face the very confused Earth rangers, and ran a hand tiredly over his face.

"Look…what planet are you from?" Zhane asked. "We'll drop you off, and then leave so the Dark Fortress doesn't come after you again,"

"Hey…" TJ said, "maybe we can help…" TJ started to suggest.

"No," Zhane said firmly, looking into the other man's eyes. "Some of our friends already died and I am not going to let them kill anymore innocent bystanders,"

"We are far from being innocent bystanders," Carlos said, still lightly holding onto Ashley's hand. "We were…"

"Are," Ashley piped up. "We are Power Rangers," Zhane raised his eyebrows in surprise, but should have expected that there were other rangers in different parts of the galaxy. "Although…in our latest battle…" Ashley sighed, pulling her hand away from Carlos' warm one, "we lost and our morphers were destroyed," she said with a sigh. Zhane felt another pang of pain as he saw morphers were indeed on each wrist of the Earth Rangers. He looked at all of the morphers that they the old Astro team had and sighed. They were experienced rangers…but he didn't know how Karone would feel about adding a new set of rangers so soon.

"Look…I do feel bad for you guys, but…we just lost four of our own rangers yesterday…" Zhane murmured, feeling tears entering his eyes again. He wiped them away before they could slip out of his eyes, and turned back to the other rangers.

"I'm sorry," Cassie said to Zhane and he numbly nodded his head in thanks. Karone walked back in and saw Zhane crying a little bit. She had no idea how to comfort him…Zhane had always been there for her, and now was the time to step up and do the same for him. Karone walked over to Zhane, and wrapped her hand around one of his. Zhane squeezed her hand gently, and wiped the tears away from his eyes before turning to Karone. He had wiped all sadness from his face, to give Karone the support she was going to need.

Karone laid a hand on his cheek, "Zhane…" she whispered, rubbing his face with her thumb. Zhane reached up and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. She turned to the other rangers, and sighed, "Well…we never exchanged names," she said shakily. "I'm Karone," she said, "and this is Zhane,"

Ashley got up, "I'm Ashley Hammond," she pointed to Cassie, "and that is my best friend Cassie Chan, TJ Johnson, and Carlos Vallerte," Ashley introduced. Karone felt herself start to get emotional again as she saw morphers on each of the Earth rangers wrists. Zhane squeezed her against him, bringing her back to reality.

"We were on the way to try and save Zordon…" TJ started.

"What do you mean save Zordon?" Zhane questioned, as he softly ran a hand through Karone's hair.

"Zordon was captured…when we lost our powers…" Cassie sighed. Karone stiffened in Zhane's embrace, and he brought his hand in between her shoulder blades, rubbing the tension away.

They stayed in silence for a while, until Zhane reluctantly stood up and grabbed the morphers. He looked at Karone, and she sadly nodded her head. It needed to be done, and they needed the new rangers. Kinwon had stored an extra morpher, in case the need arose for a new ranger.

Karone looked at the morpher on her wrist, she took it off, and walked over to Ashley. "You were the yellow ranger right?" Karone questioned softly. Ashley nodded her head, and Karone gave it to her. "It has too much…" Karone shuddered, and turned to Zhane.

"Karone…" Zhane murmured, and she walked over to Zhane before Ashley could object. She took one of the morphers out of Zhane's hands, and strapped it onto her wrist. Zhane wanted to comfort her, and the Earth Rangers started to notice. Zhane gave the pink one to Cassie, the blue one to TJ, and the black to Carlos. "Um…I guess I'll show you around," Zhane murmured, and he looped his arm around Karone's waist.

The Earth Rangers followed behind Zhane and Karone, not saying a word. It felt so strange to be showing people around the ship. Not twenty-four hours ago the team had been laughing together. Zhane stopped in the kitchen.

"This...is the kitchen. Synthitron makes whatever you want. Just have to program it in," he said, pointing to the contraption. They just nodded, and just as they passed the quarters where all the rangers slept, Karone felt tears slipping silently down her cheeks once again. "That is the-," Zhane said, starting to point towards the quarters, but Karone's body started to heave in sobs. Zhane turned to her, and she pulled off his arm and walked towards the bridge once again.

"Is she ok?" Cassie asked. Zhane just shook his head.

"No. She's not. You just...can't imagine what we went through," Zhane replied. He knew it was cold but it was the truth. How could they possibly understand what they had endured?

"Maybe if you explain...we can help," Ashley suggested. Zhane took a deep breath.

"How am I supposed to explain being forced to watch my friends being beheaded?" he shot, slamming his fist into the wall. The other rangers took a step back in shock. Zhane tiredly ran a hand over his face, and he leaned against the wall. He did feel bad about snapping at them like that, but he couldn't apologize. Zhane needed to see Karone, he was in no mood to talk with the replacement rangers. He sighed, knowing he shouldn't have thought that, and once again rubbed his face with his hands.

"I'm sorry," Carlos said quietly and took another step back. Zhane let out another breath. He couldn't handle this right now. He walked through them and went to be with Karone. The other rangers watched him go.

"Beheaded?" Ashley choked out. She wasn't sure if she was going to be sick or not.

"I'm thinking whatever villian they were up against is a lot more ruthless than Divatox," TJ murmured.

"Maybe we should just look around the rest of the ship ourselves," Cassie suggested. The other three nodded and they just began to wander. They examined the rooms, getting the eerie sense that they had been occupied not long ago. They wandered past the simu-deck and down through the engine room. When they finally made their way back up to the bridge to find Zhane and Karone in an embrace. Karone buried her head into his shoulder, as Ashley, Cassie, Carlos, and TJ started to walk away to give them some privacy.

Zhane saw them, and pulled away a little bit. "You guys are from Earth right?" he questioned, and TJ nodded. "DECA set a course back to Earth…" he whispered, and DECA beeped in response, and the ship started to move by itself, and once again pulled Karone to him.

"We'll leave you guys alone," Ashley murmured, and everyone followed her lead, leaving Zhane and Karone alone once again.

"I'm sorry," Zhane whispered, kissing her on the head. Karone tightened her arms around Zhane and felt Zhane's hands running up and down on her back. Zhane reached out and put his arm under her legs, and lifted her up.

"I am not going to go to sleep," she muttered under her breath, and Zhane looked at her puffy, read eyes, and stopped walking.

"I know it's hard…" Zhane murmured, nuzzling his forehead against hers. "but we need to get our rest Karone," Karone sighed, once again tightening her arms around his neck. He once again started to walk towards their room, and laid her down on the bed. Also lying down, he encircled her in his arms, and she leaned into him, listening to his heartbeat. Zhane forced himself to stay awake, and felt Karone starting to drift off.

"Zhane…" she murmured sleepily, looking up at him. "You aren't going to leave are you?" she whispered.

"I am going to go let them back onto Earth…I'll be right back," he promised, but didn't let go of her. Karone reluctantly nodded, and put her arms down. Zhane got up from the bed, and looked around for the newly appointed rangers. Karone reached behind her and grabbed Zhane's old teddy bear, squeezing it.

Zhane walked into the kitchen, and saw them. "We've reached Earth…" Zhane murmured. "Look…we'll get back to you later ok?" Zhane said, as Zhane led them to the teleportation room. TJ nodded, and after pressing a couple buttons, Zhane teleported the rangers away. He walked back towards his room, and sat down next to Karone and she leaned into him.

Karone wrapped her arms around his neck, dropping the bear in the middle of the bed. She kissed him softly on the cheek, and Zhane held her for a while. "I love you," she murmured, as Zhane laid them down.

"Love you," Zhane whispered. Zhane started to rub her back, and slowly Karone fell asleep. Zhane didn't go to sleep right away, his mind was too riled up, thinking what was happening now, and what had happened the previous day. Closing his eyes, he forced away the memory and thought about the women in his arms instead. Feeling himself calm down a little, he opened his eyes and looked at Karone. She didn't seem to be having any dreams…and Zhane thought of that as a good thing. Zhane brought Karone closer, almost thinking that if he didn't she would disappear too. He kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes, just focusing his thoughts on Karone, finally falling asleep too.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you once again rah, for writing a majority of the chapter!

Zhane stirred and felt that his shirt was wet, and saw Karone had tears slipping down her eyes again. Zhane wiped them away with his thumbs, and saw Karone had opened her eyes up. "Go back to sleep," he murmured.

"I...I don't want to," she whispered.

"I'm here. You're safe," he promised. They lay in silence for a while, Zhane slowly stroking her arm.

"Where did you leave the Earth Rangers?" she finally asked.

"On Earth," Zhane answered. She rolled her eyes.

"Uh...the place they were from. We're still in Earth's orbit so we should be able to find them again," he elaborated.

"Ok..." Karone sighed.

Down on Earth, Ashley and the rest of the rangers slowly walked through the desert towards the remains of the Command Center. They weren't sure why they were going there but something was drawing them back. Ashley stopped walking and sunk to the ground. Carlos caught sight of her and joined her.

"You ok?" he asked.

"I...yeah. This is all just really crazy. I mean...what are we even doing back here?" Ashley answered. Carlos was about to say something when a noise came from the ruins of the Command Center.

"Did you hear that?" TJ called. Carlos stood up and offered his hand out to Ashley, and she gently took it. He helped her up, and they walked over to a moving pile of rubble. TJ went over to it, and moved a little of it over, and "Ay yi yi yi," Alpha sputtered.

"Alpha," TJ said, "I thought you got destroyed…" he said, helping the robot fully out of the rubble. The rangers dusted Alpha off, and Alpha moved his arms and legs, testing to see if anything was damaged, and he seemed to be running at full capacity.

Up at the Dark Fortress, Demios paced around on the bridge his mind reeling. Why did he let the Yellow and Silver Astro Rangers live? Ecliptor looked as the evil prince was pacing around. He needed to do something to keep Demios away from finding out who he truly was.

"Alpha," TJ said, "I thought you got destroyed…" he said, helping the robot fully out of the rubble. The rangers dusted Alpha off, and Alpha moved his arms and legs, testing to see if anything was damaged, and he seemed to be running at full capacity.

"Alpha," TJ said, "I thought you got destroyed…" he said, helping the robot fully out of the rubble. The rangers dusted Alpha off, and Alpha moved his arms and legs, testing to see if anything was damaged, and he seemed to be running at full capacity.

Up at the Dark Fortress, Demios paced around on the bridge his mind reeling. Why did he let the Yellow and Silver Astro Rangers live? Ecliptor looked as the evil prince was pacing around. He needed to do something to keep Demios away from finding out who he truly was.

Demios stopped pacing and turned to look at Ecliptor.

"Is something troubling you, my Lord?" he asked.

"I...I couldn't kill her. Why couldn't I kill her. She was just a Power Ranger," he grumbled.

"You will next time," Ecliptor stated, trying to cheer him up.

"Yes...next time she won't be so lucky," the Prince of Evil snickered. Just then a sensor began to beep wildly. He took two strides to the console and examined the read-out.

"It appears there is a surge of Ranger energy on Earth," he mumbled mostly to himself. He hit a few buttons and brought the smoldering Command Center on screen. He spotted the four Rangers and Alpha. He scanned them, seeing they had acquired the astro powers.

"Isn't this interesting," he mused and looked over at Ecliptor. It appears the power has been passed to new Rangers. My work is never done," he sighed and teleported down to the planet.

It was Cassie who first heard the footsteps approaching. She turned to see the figure stop in his tracks

"What do we have here?" he asked, drawing attention from the other rangers as well.

"Are you lost?" TJ asked.

"Yeah...it's a little late for Halloween," Carlos added.

"Always so disrespectful," Demios chided.

"That's the problem with your kind. You never know when you're in the presence of greatness," he continued.

"What do you want?" Cassie asked.

"What do I want...let's see. You're demise would be a start," he replied with a smirk.

"I don't think so," TJ said, looking to his friends. He was about to suggest morphing when he realized, he had no idea how to activate the morphers. Zhane had never told them. Back on the Megaship, the alarms began to sound. Zhane and Karone jumped up and sprinted to the bridge as fast as they could.

"What's going on?" Karone asked.

"It appears Demios has confronted the four Earth rangers," DECA answered.

"On screen," Zhane ordered. The image appeared and Zhane felt sick. Couldn't they have some time to mourn? He shot a sidelong glance at Karone and saw she was feeling much the same way.

"We have to help them," he said.

"I...I can't. Zhane I'm sorry," Karone murmured, backing away.

"Karone...we're going to have to face him sometime. And... If we don't hurry, they'll end up just like the others," Zhane protested. Karone nodded and slowly the headed down to Earth. They appeared in front of the unmorphed rangers.

"You guys ok?" Zhane asked.

"Yeah...we'd be better if we knew how to morph," Carlos answered. Zhane and Karone shared a look and flipped open their own morphers.

"Let's rocket," they said in unison. The other rangers followed suit.

"Well doesn't this just bring back memories," Demios sneered.

"Leave them out of this," Zhane spat.

"I spared your life once. I will not be so kind again," Demios retorted. He surveyed the rangers. The color scheme may have been different but it didn't matter.

"Have you thought more of my offer?" he asked, looking at Karone. He gave her a smile and moved with quick steps until he could rest a hand on her arm.

"Get away from me," she spat, doing her best to get out of his grip.

"Let her go Demios," Zhane shouted.

"Are you so stupid you haven't figured out what happens to people when they cross me?" he hissed.

"I would think you friends would serve as fair warning," he added. He slid his hand down Karone's arm and grabbed her wrist. In one fluid motion he'd spun her around and pulled her close.

"Let go of me!" Karone protested. Zhane was growing impatient. This was going to end now. With a cry he lunged at Demios and nearly hit Karone. It soon became evident that Demios was using her as a human shield.

"I think he could use some help," TJ called and the other rangers jumped into action. All five of them taking him on proved to be a bit more difficult. However he was skilled with a sword and managed to block the majority of their advances.

"I'll be back for you, I promise," he whispered against Karone's helmet before sending her spinning into the other Rangers. Without a word, he disappeared.

"Let's get back to the ship," Zhane said. Once back on board, they demorphed and collapsed into seats on the bridge.

"Was that..." Carlos began to ask and Zhane just nodded.

"He's definitely a lot more formidable than anything we've faced before," TJ agreed.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Zhane muttered, turning to Karone.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked.

"I think I just need to go lay down," she answered. He nodded and escorted her out. That had been a close call...again. The remaining rangers looked around at each other.

"I don't think they trust us," Ashley said.

"They just lost their friends. I wouldn't be too trusting I were them," Cassie stated.

"Maybe...if we saw what happened...we could show we really want to help," Carlos suggested. TJ looked over at Alpha.

"Hey Alpha, do you think you can get the computer to show us what happened to the other rangers?" he asked.

"Certainly TJ," Alpha said.

"DECA, can you please bring up the battle on the main viewing screen?" Alpha asked.

"On screen now," DECA said.

You wouldn't do it," Mintar said, hoping against hope that the man before him wouldn't have the heart to do it.

"You are more stupid than you look, Red Ranger," Demios sneered.

"Mintar," Iris said softly. Mintar looked at her in confusion.

"Excuse me?" Demios asked, annoyed at having been interrupted.

"His name is Mintar," she said, looking down at the ground nervously.

"Did I ask what his name was?" Demios snapped, tilting the blade down, resting it beneath her chin to lift her face up.

"N-no," she murmured.

"I didn't think so," he said. He gave her a smirk and slid the blade lightly along her throat, leaving a faint trail of blood. Her body quaked in fear as the cold metal trailed along her skin. Without a second thought he pushed the blade back and to the left.

In one fluid motion and moment of graphic horror, her head fell from her body, landing behind her in the sand. Her body slumped forward.

Ashley had to cover her eyes as she heard Karone's screams. Apparently, Zhane had hear the commotion too and returned.

"What is going on? DECA, turn it off," he commanded.

"Zhane, the other rangers," the computer began to protest.

"I said shut it off!" Zhane hissed. The image was immediately gone from sight. Zhane looked at each of the Earth Rangers, and rubbed his temples. "What…you…" Zhane was so angry, he couldn't even complete a full sentence. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Zhane growled at them.

"We only wanted to help-," Ashley started, and Zhane growled.

"None of you had any right to do that!" Zhane shouted at them, making sure to keep distance away from Ashley or any of the other teammates so he wouldn't deck them. "We...we're sorry. We just...thought maybe if we saw it we could help you," TJ said.

"You need to stay out of things that aren't your business," Zhane ground out.

"Look...you clearly need our help to fight that guy. But we can only work together if you trust us," Ashley said defensively.

"We can handle Demios on our own," Zhane grumbled.

"No...it doesn't look like you can. It took all of us to stop him from kidnapping Karone," Carlos countered. Zhane grinded his teeth together, knowing they were right, and he hated that they were right.

"Whatever," Zhane growled, "Stay the hell out of what isn't your damn business," Zhane growled, before storming off the bridge.

"If Zordon was here…he would know what we could do…" Ashley murmured, silence settling throughout the whole room.


	4. Chapter 4

Zhane knew he couldn't let Karone see him this angry, and decided to head towards the holo-deck to beat out the anger on some simulated Quantrons. He didn't notice that Karone was still awake, and she moved out of the room. She saw Zhane's retreating form was heading towards the holo-deck. Biting her lip, she stealthily followed him towards it. Zhane furiously wiped at his eyes, and pressed a couple buttons activating a training program that Mintar had set up weeks earlier to keep the rangers in fit. Karone walked in after him, and saw a group of Quantrons coming towards Zhane. Letting out a growl, he ripped the Quantrons apart. "DECA, raise the level up!" he shouted, and instantly the Quantrons were harder to defeat. Karone felt fear bubbling up in her chest as Zhane started to lose the battle.

"DECA!" Karone called out, "Terminate the program!" Karone rushed over to Zhane, and he wiped some blood away from his nose. He turned to her, and before he could say anything, she walked over to him, putting her hands on his face. He tried to wipe the look on his face away, trying to be strong for Karone. "Zhane," she whispered, wiping his tears away with her thumbs, like Zhane had done for her so many times before. Feeling tears enter her own eyes, she whispered, "Zhane, it's ok…you don't have to be strong for me…its ok to break down," she murmured.

"I'm ok Karone…" he lied, once again trying to put up the mask he had set up for when he saw Karone. Karone pressed a couple buttons on her communicator, and the holo-deck changed to where Karone had dubbed 'their spot' on KO35. Karone forced him to sit down, and wrapped her arms around him.

They sat in each other's arms for what seemed an eternity. When finally Zhane seemed to have calmed down, Karone took a deep breath and took the chance of asking him what was wrong.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"Nothing," he answered sharply.

"Please tell me," she murmured, nestling her head against his shoulder.

"I...the other rangers...were watching..." he trailed off. "They saw…" Zhane tried to start again, and Karone looked up at him patiently. "What Demios did…" Zhane breathed, and felt Karone tighten her arms around him. Zhane regretted that he admitted what was wrong, and he started to apologize. "Karone…I'm sorry…"

"Zhane…no…" she whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "No…you saw…didn't you?" she questioned softly.

"A little," Zhane admitted sadly, and Karone pulled him closer to her. Zhane leaned his head into her neck and sighed, holding back tears again. Karone held him, rubbing her hand up and down Zhane's back, hoping what she was doing was comforting him.

"I'm sorry you had to see that again," Karone breathed, as she felt Zhane tighten his arms around her. Karone felt tears welling up in her eyes, but didn't hold them back. "I…" Karone whispered, brushing her lips over the top of his head. "I love you Zhane…even though I know I am not too good with this comforting stuff…I'm here," she whispered. Zhane lifted his head up, and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I know…" he whispered, "I just want to protect you…" he said, rubbing her arms. Karone didn't say anything to Zhane; she just leaned closer into him.

"I appreciate that…but I don't want you to get hurt either," she whispered, kissing him on the lips. "Please don't keep anything inside that is hurting you again…" Karone murmured against his cheek.

"Ok…" he whispered, and wiped Karone's eyes, and she did the same for him. "Thanks Karone…" Zhane whispered, nuzzling his head under her chin. Zhane pulled away to look at her, and kissed her again softly on the lips. He then felt guilt etching onto his features. He felt like he should apologize to the others for how he reacted to them seeing the slaughter of their friends. "I think I owe the others an apology," Zhane murmured. "I kind of exploded at them…when I saw them watching the recording…"

"Zhane…I think they will understand," Karone whispered supportively. Zhane smiled and held Karone for a little while longer before sighing. Karone squeezed his arms again before they both stood up. "DECA…end simulation," and the room went back to its silvery emptiness that it normally was. The Earth rangers were still on the bridge, and Karone and Zhane walked in. Zhane was surprised that they were still there, but was glad to see no anger playing out in their faces.

Zhane shifted uncomfortably on his feet, and Karone squeezed his hand. "Look…about before…we really didn't mean to pry…" Ashley started after clearing her throat. "We just wanted to help..."

"I know…" Zhane said, "and we really appreciate it…and I owe you guys an apology…you as the new Astro Rangers had a right to know what happened to the previous rangers," Zhane murmured. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Hey…it's all right," Cassie assured Zhane. "Believe us…we have no hard feelings,"

"What you guys have gone through…no other Earth ranger has ever been through," Carlos added. Zhane managed a small smile, and felt Karone squeeze his hand once again.

"Thanks," Zhane murmured.

"Are you guys going to be ok?" TJ asked Karone and Zhane. Karone nodded, and Zhane managed another weak smile.

"Yeah…we'll be fine. Not today…but honestly, to defeat Demios…we are going to have to train like hell to be able to even attempt to match his fighting skills…" Zhane said, his voice was getting stronger. Feeling a little weird taking Mintar's place as the leader, Zhane wasn't altogether sure on what to say next.

"It's ok…" TJ said, giving Zhane a sympathetic smile. "Maybe along with training tomorrow, you and Karone can come down to Earth…you know get acquainted and familiar with it,"

"That sounds good," Zhane agreed.

Karone nodded her head in agreement, and heard Ashley sigh. "It's kinda getting late…we have got school in the morning," Karone looked confused. Was it that much different on Earth? Her and Zhane weren't in school all that long…unless you count the Ranger Academy.

"You guys haven't graduated yet?" Karone asked in a confused voice.

"No…we are still in high school…" Carlos said.

"I thought that…" Karone started.

"It's probably different than when we were in school," Zhane whispered in Karone's ear. Karone nodded, and smiled.

"We'd probably head home…" Ashley whispered. "School's out at 2:30…so we can probably meet here around then?" she asked.

"Alright…" Zhane said, and they all felt the awkwardness. Zhane hoped that it would fade after some time, so they could become a little friendlier with the newly appointed rangers.

Zhane teleported them back to Earth, and turned to Karone. Karone walked over to Zhane and put a hand on his shoulder. Zhane wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her close. "They seem really nice," Karone commented.

"Yeah…" Zhane agreed. Karone looked at the bridge console, and Zhane gently tugged her away from it. "Karone…we don't need to see that again…" he whispered.

"Ok…" she whispered, settling herself in his arms. "Why did he let us live?" Karone questioned after a minute. Zhane sucked in a breath, and squeezed her against him.

"I don't know Karone…" Zhane whispered.

"If something…had happened to you…" Karone said sadly. Zhane brought her face up to his.

"Karone…its ok…I'm right here, and I am not going to abandon you," Zhane promised. He looked at the clock, and back at Karone. "C'mon," he whispered softly. "I think we better head to bed…" Karone nodded, and they headed towards their quarters. Zhane pulled the sheets up, and Karone laid down on the bed. "I'm going to go get changed…" Zhane hurriedly got out of his clothes, and into some pajamas. Zhane crawled into bed next to Karone, and pulled the sheet over them. Karone snuggled into Zhane, and he brought his arms around her. "I love you," he whispered.

"Love you too…" she said, stifling a yawn. Zhane kissed her, and felt her drowsing off. He rubbed her back once again coaxing her into sleep. He watched as Karone slept and brushed the hair from her eyes. He had no idea what he would do if Demios had managed to catch Karone. Clutching Karone tighter to him…he fell into a troubled sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Karone blearily blinked her eyes opened and looked up at Zhane, who was still sleeping. He had a troubled look on his face, and Karone snuggled into him. Zhane tightened his arms around her, and he murmured something incoherently. Karone squeezed him gently, and his eyes opened up. Apparently not remembering what was bothering him, he looked down at Karone, thinking she had a nightmare of some sort. "Karone…it's ok," he mumbled, running his hand down her back.

Karone looked up at him, and shook her head. "I'm ok…you were murmuring things in your sleep…I was worried about you," Zhane continued to rub her back, and softly kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm ok," he whispered. Karone still had a worried gaze on him and he smiled, but it seemed force. "Really…I'm ok," he said, nestling his chin on her head. Zhane held her for a while before removing his chin to look down at her. "You hungry?" he questioned. Karone shook her head, and Zhane sighed. "You got to eat something…" he murmured into her ear. "C'mon," he said, helping her out of bed. Karone sighed, and reluctantly followed Zhane towards the dining area.

When they got there, TJ and Cassie were already sitting down with plates of what they assumed to be eggs and bacon. Neither said anything to Zhane or Karone while they got their food.

"Morning," Cassie finally said.

"Morning. Didn't Ashley say that you have school today?" Karone asked, not sure what day it was.

"No…. it's Saturday," TJ answered. "We kind of…you know…"

"You don't know the half of it…" Karone murmured, "Sorry…" she added as a half thought.

"That's ok," Cassie said, giving the girl a sympathetic smile. Just then Carlos and Ashley appeared.

"Hey...do you guys want to come down to Earth and hang out? We can show you around," Carlos offered Karone and Zhane shared a look. Maybe it would be good for them to just spend some time doing nothing.

"Sure. Why not," Zhane answered. Karone nodded; glad to be pushing the food away. The rangers headed for the teleportation room, and they beamed down to Earth. "So…this is Earth huh?"

"Yeah…well…I guess we will take you to the Surf Spot…it was pretty much our normal after school hang out place…" Karone numbly nodded, and TJ lead the way towards the Surf Spot.

They grabbed a table and sat down. Adele walked over with a pen and pad of paper in her hand.

"Well I haven't seen you kids here in forever," she said, leaning on the edge of Carlos' chair.

"Yeah...we've been kind of busy," Carlos answered.

"Well what can I get for you?" she asked.

"Just some sodas," Cassie answered.

"Oh and maybe some fries," Ashley added. Adele nodded and went to put in their order.

"That's Adele. She runs the Surf Spot," TJ explained. Zhane looked around at the other people. It seemed like the place was pretty popular and so far Earth didn't seem all that different from KO-35. Zhane's gaze went back towards Karone, and he reached under the table, and squeezed her hand gently. Ashley took a look at Karone, and she looked depressed. She looked at Carlos then, at the pool table.

"Hey, Zhane…how about I show you how to play pool?" Carlos offered, and Zhane looked at Karone.

"Go ahead," Karone murmured, and TJ, Carlos, and Zhane headed towards the pool table.

"Something bothering you Karone?" Ashley questioned softly. Karone looked at Ashley and was about to tell her to mind her own damn business, but when she saw the actually general concern playing out in her eyes….

"Its…just…" Karone sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm worried about Zhane…"

"I would be worried about you if you weren't," Cassie said. "So what's going on?" Cassie questioned.

"I don't know…" Karone sighed, taking a sip of soda that Adele had brought in. "I don't know how to talk to Zhane…and I feel bad that I can't get him to talk to me when he is clearly hurting," she said, feeling tears in her eyes starting to form. Ashley put a hand on Karone's knee, and Karone looked at Ashley.

"Karone…Zhane really loves you, you know?" Ashley asked. "We barely known each other for a day, but Zhane is just wanting to protect you…but when the time comes, Zhane will break down, and you'll be there for him…" Ashley said, and Karone managed a smile.

"Besides…you are doing a great job being there for each other," Cassie said supportively.

"Thanks…" Karone murmured.

"That's what friends are for," Ashley said to her.

"You are a natural at this," TJ commented at Zhane as he made another shot.

"I would rather smack Demios around with this," Zhane muttered with a light smirk on his face. He snuck a look at Karone, and saw her talking with Ashley and Cassie. He had a light smile on his face, seeing that Karone was trying to open up to them. Karone turned and smiled at Zhane. Zhane grinned in return, and Karone waved.

High above the Surf Spot, Demios sat in the Dark Fortress, his eyes focused on the task at hand. He ran the cloth the length of the sword until it shown even in the dim light. Finally satisfied that it was clean and in order, he replaced it in the scabbard and stood. As he paced around the room he couldn't help but think about the purple ranger. This was twice now he had spared her life. If he wasn't careful, he would tarnish his reputation.

"My Prince," Ecliptor's voice called, bringing him back to reality. Demios spun and glared at the creature.

"How many times do I have to tell you do not interrupt me when i'm thinking1" he shouted. Ecliptor bowed hurriedly.

"My apologies. You have been quiet. Are you alright?" he asked.

"I am fine. Now leave me. I have plans to make," he hissed. Elciptor hesitated but walked out of the room. Demios ran a hand over his face and let out a breath. He needed a way to infiltrate their ranks. But he knew that the now purple ranger would see through any guise he used. He would have to use one of the new rangers. He closed his eyes, focusing on the two new girls.

"Perfect," he snickered, walking into the main control room.

"Do you have a plan?" Ecliptor asked.

"Of course I have a plan. One that she won't be able to resist," Demios replied, a picture of Ashley flashing on the screen. Eclitpor gave an approving nod.

"How do you plan to gain her trust?" the creature questioned. Demios rolled his eyes.

"You do not need to know every detail of my plan," Demios growled. With that he headed back to his room to get ready. Despite his better judgment, he took the sword off of his belt for the first time in years. With that he disappeared, reappearing outside the Surf Spot. He looked around, waving his hand over his body. His clothes changed, as did his hair. It changed to a light brown and was pulled back out of his face. Demios walked into the Surf Spot, and saw Ashley walking towards the pool table. He looked around and saw Adele walking towards her with a tray of sodas, and Demios squinted his eyes, making it start to tip. Almost running to Ashley in an inhuman speed, she squealed and ducked as the tray nearly smacked her. Demios caught Ashley against his chest, and gave her a pleasant smile.

The sodas went crashing to the floor, sending sticky liquid all over the place. Ashley looked up at Demios with and heaved a breath.

"Thanks," she said, slowly steadying herself and taking a step back.

"You're welcome," he said.

"I'm Ashley," she muttered, realizing it was the polite thing to do.

"I'm Zac. I'm new," Demios lied, taking her hand and guiding her around the spill. Adele just sighed as she got a mop and bucket and began to clean up the mess. Carlos jogged over to Ashley, and saw her smiling at Demios.

"You ok Ash?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah…thanks to Zac…" Ashley said, wiping her hands on her pants. "Zac, this is one of my friends, Carlos," she said. Demios offered his hand and Carlos stiffly shook it. Carlos immediately didn't like Zac, and Ashley resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She turned to Demios, "You want to come sit with us?" Ashley offered, turning her back to Carlos.

"Ash…" Carlos started.

"If it is going to be a problem…" Demios started, and Ashley turned to him.

"No…its not a problem at all," Ashley answered quickly. Ashley took Demios by the arm, and led him to the table. Karone turned to Ashley, and looked curiously at Ashley's new friend.

"Who's this?" she questioned, a small smile pasted on her face.

"This is Zac…he pulled me out of the way from some soda spilling on me," Ashley explained. "Zac, this is my friend Karone…" Karone offered her hand and lightly shook Demios' hand. She didn't like the vibes she was getting off of him, but managed to keep a friendly face plastered on her face.

Sensing that Karone was uncomfortable, Zhane walked over to her. "Hey," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "Who's this?" he questioned, rubbing Karone's arm gently. Instantly feeling better that Zhane was here, she gave him a smile.

"Zhane…this is Zac," Karone introduced, trying to be friendly, knowing Ashley had a little crush on this new kid. Zhane briefly shook his hand, also feeling a little wary about the newcomer. Both Zhane and Karone already had difficulty trusting their new team, and a new friend wasn't making either of them all that comfortable.

"What's up?" Zhane asked, attempting to be friendly. Ashley gave both Karone and Zhane grateful looks, and turned to Demios.

"So Zac…what school did you transfer from?" Ashley questioned after a moment. Demios was taken aback for a moment, and had no idea what to say.

"Was home schooled," Demios said. It wasn't really a lie…wait when did Demios start to care if he was lying or not?

"Ah…" Ashley said, noticing his offhand tone. "So…are you going to be coming to Angel Grove High School?" she questioned after a moment. Demios considered before answering.

"Yeah…just a change of scenery sounds good right now," Demios said giving her a warm smile.

"Cool," Ashley said. "I'll see if I can show you around," Ashley said to him. Demios gave her a toothy smile. It turned to a frown as he looked at the clock.

"My parents are going to want me home…see you tomorrow?" he questioned in a hopeful voice.

"Definitley," Ashley said with a smile. Demios gave a wave before leaving the Surf Spot. He transported himself back to the Dark Fortress.

"Too easy…" he said with a chuckle turning his gaze back towards the computers in front of him.


	6. Chapter 6

Karone sighed as she woke up, and saw that Zhane was already awake. He gave her a smile, and stroked her hair, "Hey," he whispered, planting a small kiss on her lips. Zhane brought Karone fully to him, and rubbed her arms. "Are you ok?" Zhane questioned.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, looking at his worried face.

"You were tossing and turning in your sleep," Zhane answered. "So what's going on in that head of yours?" he asked softly.

"I dunno..." Karone answered. She had been feeling weird ever since she had shook hands with Zac. She had...a feeling of dread when she touched his skin. Karone shivered, and Zhane rubbed her arms. "Ever since that Zac guy came around...I have just been feeling weird,"

"I know the feeling," Zhane replied, giving her a sympathetic smile. "I am not so sure about him either..." Zhane said, squeezing her gently against him. "Though...I am not sure if we should tell Ashley that," he murmured. Karone nodded. Their new friend seemed very fond of Zac, and they knew that they shouldn't really discourage her, considering that Carlos seemed to be stewing in his anger about Ashley choosing some stranger over him.

"I am starting to get worried...Demios is planning something..." Karone whispered. "He is planning something big," she whispered. Zhane wish he could find a way to alleviate Karone's fears, but there is no way he could do it without lying to her. Instead he just placed a kiss on her forehead. He felt anger roar inside his body as he thought about Demios, and how he touched Karone.

"I am going to protect you," he whispered, squeezing her.

"I love you Zhane..." Karone whispered, rubbing her head into his chest.

"I love you too Karone," he murmured, and kissing the top of her head.

Meanwhile on Earth Ashley was scanning around for Zac, and finally saw him. "Hey!" she called out, and Zac gave her a grin. He walked over to Ashley, "You made it," she said.

"Yeah..." Demios felt weird, being crowded with so many people in one place. He had no idea how humans did this.

"It is weird huh?" Ashley asked, as if she almost read his mind. "You'll get used to it after a while," Ashley looked at him, and gave him a smile. "So...do you have your class schedule?" He had hacked into the computer system, and input himself in there. He had almost every class with Ashley, and hopefully he would be able to earn her trust easily. He handed her his class schedule, and she smiled. "Awesome...we have almost have all the same classes," she said with a grin.

Demios just grinned at Ashley, and saw her blush. He was glad he was having this affect on her, and it would make it that much easier to get her trust. "Well...none of the others have shown up yet...so I guess I will show you around," she said to Demios. He offered his arm, and Ashley took it, leading him towards the cafeteria. "This is where we get our food..." duh Ashley, she thought to herself, "We get to go here and eat after fourth period..." she said. Demios nodded his head, feeling completely lost. She looked at her watch, and sighed. Looks like the others were late for some odd reason. She didn't have first hour with anyone, but now she had Zac...so she didn't mind too much. "We better head for our first class..." she said. Finally reaching the room, she let her arm slip away from his. He let his hand linger on top of hers, and she felt a tingle up her arm.

Demios was starting to feel strange...he knew what he was doing was right...but he didn't think he would feel anything about it.

Above on the Mega Ship Zhane was trying to find any weakness that Demios had seemed to have...but couldn't find one single one. He sighed as he felt a pair of hands go onto his shoulders, and started to massage his tense muscles. "Zhane...you have been going at this for hours," Karone breathed into his ear.

"I know..." he murmured. He wanted to defeat Demios...he needed to protect Karone. She applied a little more pressure and he closed his eyes letting out a soft moan.

"Karone...as good as this is feeling...I need to continue researching..." Zhane started, but Karone pulled him away from the console. Zhane started to grab a hold of the chair again, but Karone stopped him once again. She placed herself on top his lap, and Zhane instantly wrapped his arms around her. Leaning her head into his neck, he sighed. "Just think... a couple months ago our roles were reversed," he murmured, squeezing her gently. Karone just nodded, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Zhane held Karone for a while, and saw that it was about time that the others would be getting out of school by now. Karone noticed that, and reluctantly slipped off of his lap. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and led her towards the teleportation room.

Karone leaned into him as they approached the school, and Zhane squeezed her gently. "Zhane...I want you to get some rest later ok?" she asked.

"Karone," he quietly protested.

"Zhane...please," she whispered, rubbing his shoulder.

"Ok..." he whispered, kissing her cheek. Carlos saw Zhane and Karone, and waved them over.

"Hey guys," Carlos said to them.

"Where's Ashley?" Karone questioned. Carlos' face turned sour.

"She is showing Zac around," Carlos said his name with distaste in his voice. Cassie put a calming hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Well hopefully she will be here soon," TJ said. "So what is going on?" he questioned.

"I tried to get some more information on Demios...but I couldn't find a single thing," Zhane murmured in a disappointed voice. Karone's hand moved down to Zhane's and she squeezed it gently. He gave her a grateful smile, and brought her hand to his lips.

"We will find a way to stop Demios..." TJ said supportively. He looked at Karone and Zhane and saw that they were exhausted. "Guys...why don't we head to the Mega Ship? We will look information on Demios...and you two can go get some rest," TJ suggested.

Karone nodded, squeezing him gently. "Zhane why don't we just go back up to the ship?"

A couple feet away Ashley and Demios were walking around in the school park. "Thanks for being so nice to me," she gave him a grin.

"Of course...I had fun," Ashley said.

"Do you think I could have your number?" Demios asked, and Ashley smiled. She went into her backpack and wrote her phone number down, and Demios wrote down a number, that would connect her to the Dark Fortress. "See you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course," Ashley said to him. "Bye..." she said to him, and Demios gave her a grin slightly waved his hand. Demios shook his head as he memorized Ashley's smile in his brain. He teleported the back to the Dark Fortress and rubbed his temples. He shook his head again and started to plan out his next plan of action of seducing Ashley Hammond.

Ashley walked over to the rest of the team and gave them a grin. "Hey guys," Seeing their friend so happy no one gave her any trouble. "What's with the depressed looks?"

"We tried to find a weakness for Demios...but he has none...none at all.." Karone whispered, and Zhane kissed her on the forehead.

"We were about to go look up info on Demios while Karone and Zhane catch up on some rest," Cassie said to Ashley. Ashley nodded, and they teleported back to the Mega Ship.

"You guys go rest..." TJ said to them, "We will go start the research up again," TJ said. Zhane seemed reluctant to leave, and Cassie smiled, grabbing both Karone and Zhane by the shoulders and gently pushing them towards their room.

"Now go get some rest.." Cassie said.

"Thanks..." Karone said to her.

"It means a lot to us..." Zhane said to her.

"It's no problem...just go get some sleep," Cassie said to them, and Zhane nodded. Karone and Zhane walked into their room. Zhane immediately went towards a computer console. Karone dragged him away from the computer, and had him lay down on the bed.

"Karone..." he started, but she just shook her head.

"I know you want to help...but I know we aren't going to be much help if we are run down..."

"Karone...I want to take this guy down...I don't want him to hurt you again..." he said in a sad voice. Karone wrapped her arms around Zhane. Zhane mirrored her movements, and felt her tighten her arms around him. He laid his head into her neck, breathing in gently. He forced back tears, and brought him towards the bed. Karone squeezed him against her, rubbing his neck.

Zhane felt himself falling asleep, and brought her closer. "Karone...I love you..."

"I love you Zhane..." Karone whispered, leaning her head on his chest. Zhane rubbed her back, and felt her fighting off sleep. She wanted to be sure that Zhane went to sleep, before going to sleep herself. Zhane leaned his head on top of hers, and slowly fell asleep.

Karone drifted off to sleep, feeling safe with Zhane's arms, momentarily forgetting about Demios and the horrors that he inflicted.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you to all my faithful reviewers, and thanks rah for the ideas for the chappie! anyways enjoy y'all!

Ashley sighed as she twirled her pencil around in her fingers. She couldn't help but sneak a glance at Zac. He had absolutely no problem with math, and she was having so much difficulty on it. She assumed that it was probably because he was home schooled. Zac looked over to Ashley and then to the teacher. He reached over and started to whisper how to do the problem, and Ashley smiled. "Thanks," she murmured, and he gave her a grin.

"Anytime," Zac whispered. He pulled away when he noticed that the teacher had given them a look. The bell rang, and he said, "I can help you with your homework if you want..." Ashley grinned.

"That sounds good," she said. Demios gave her a smile, and bit back a sigh. Was he going too far into this? Was he getting too involved...or was his plan going exactly into action as it is? "So...where are we going to go?" she asked.

"Library I guess..." Demios said, and Ashley nodded. They headed over towards the school library, and Carlos sighed, as he watched them walk off. He was really getting jealous. Carlos was getting so close to Ashley finally getting him to feel the same way that he did about her, but then this Zac person appears out of nowhere, and she is instantly infatuated with him.

As Ashley and Zac walked towards the library when some guy came towards her. "What's a pretty girl like you, going to the library?" Ashley rolled her eyes at him, and just shook her head. "Why don't I take you somewhere else?" he asked, reaching towards Ashley.

"Buzz off," Ashley snapped at him. He grabbed Ashley, and pulled her towards him. It took a moment for Demios to recognize that he shouldn't just stand there, and instantly felt for his sword he kept on him, and cringed. He didn't have it on him. Ashley was struggling in the boy's grip, and Demios pulled Ashley away from him, and let out a punch across his jaw. The jock put his fists up, and Demios would have laughed if he wasn't so enraged that some guy was touching Ashley. After a minute of fighting, Demios knocked the guy unconscious, and looked at Ashley. "You ok?" he asked, and was surprised to feel that he was actually worried about her. Ashley nodded, stunned on how quickly he had knocked the stupid jock out. "Ashley..." he said, lightly touching her arm.

"Yeah..." Ashley said, leaning into him. "Thanks," she murmured, and Demios felt strange, as Ashley leaned into him. He knew that he had to earn her trust, so Demios wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you going to be ok?" he asked, rubbing her arms. She grasped at his shirt, and gave him a grateful squeeze.

"I'm ok..." she reassured him.

"Lets go somewhere else...how about we go grab a shake from the surf shack?" he offered, still feeling a tad worried about her.

"That sounds good," she said to him.

After giving Adele their orders, Demios sat Ashley down, and started to rub her hand lightly. Before he could attempt to offer any comforting words Carlos walked over. "Ashley are you ok?" he questioned lightly.

"Some guy tried to rough me up a little bit...Zac beat him up," she explained her to Carlos, putting her hand over Demios'. Demios almost chuckled when he saw Carlos' eyes flare up in anger. Ashley noticed the look in his eyes, and sighed. "Zac...I'll be right back ok?" Demios nodded, and Ashley got up, dragging Carlos away from Demios. "What is your problem?" she snapped at him.

Carlos tried to lie his way out of it, "Ash...I was worried about you...that's it," he said, putting his hands up in defense.

"You are worried huh?" Ashley questioned, "its more like you are spying. What is your problem with Zac?" she growled. "He has been nothing but nice to me, and all our friends," Carlos opened his mouth to try to apologize, but she shook her head, "you know what never mind!" Ashley snapped at him, walking back towards Demios.

"Everything ok?" Demios questioned after a moment as she sat back down.

"I'm sorry...Carlos is just being...Carlos," she said, waving off the subject. Adele brought them their milkshakes, and gave both Ashley and Demios a smile.

"Enjoy..." she said, walking off.

"Thanks Adele," Ashley called out as she walked away. "Thanks again..." she said, as she took a sip of her strawberry milkshake.

"I'm sure that you would have been able to take him on by himself," Demios said with a grin. Ashley laughed and he gave her a crooked grin. Ashley looked at him, seeing he wasn't touching his milkshake.

"You don't like Milkshakes?" Ashley asked.

Demios forced the blush he was hiding to come out, and he explained, "I never really had one before," Normally Ashley would have laughed, but she saw that he was serious.

"Try it," she encouraged, "it tastes really good," she said. Demios smiled, and took a sip. Instantly the taste of chocolate enter his system.

"Wow..." he breathed. Ashley smiled, seeing that he liked it. If he remembered correctly, it was the male's job to pick up the tab, and he pulled out a wallet that he created. Pulling out a couple fresh bills, and put it on the table. "So...what do you want to do now?" he said, running a hand through his hair.

"I dunno," Ashley said. Her communicator started to go off, and she really wanted to ignore it.

"Is that a pager?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah..." she said, standing up. "I'm sorry," she murmured. He gave her a small smile.

"No worries," he said, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I guess I'll see you later," he said, and she nodded.

"Definitely," she said. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, "thanks again...I really appreciate what you did for me,"

"Of course..." he said, giving her a smile. She was about to say more, but her communicator went off again. "Go...I'll see you tomorrow,"

"Bye.." she said, walking towards the exit of the Surf Spot. As she did a group of Quantrons appeared in front of her. Demios walked towards the exit as well, and let out a growl as he saw that Darconda or Ecliptor had let out a squad of Quantrons to attack Ashley.

"Damn them," he growled under his breath, and was about to jump in and get Ashley out of there when all the sudden she started to take them all. Flashes of purple, silver, black, pink, and blue appeared, forming into the Power Rangers. Once the rangers were together, they easily subdued the squad of Quantrons. He knew that she would be ok...but couldn't help but feel relieved that she was. He closed his eyes, and teleported back to the Dark Fortress. Once again turning back to the Prince of Darkness, he stormed around finally finding Ecliptor. He roughly pushed Ecliptor against the wall, he shot, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I thought we were following your orders my prince," he managed to say in a choked voice.

"You will do things when I tell you to do them, not before," he yelled, finally pulling away from Ecliptor. He closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples. "Now...leave me," he said waving towards the door.

"Yes my prince," Ecliptor said, quickly bowing out. Demios looked down at Earth, and it instantly reminded him of Ashley.

Mega Ship

Karone walked around the ship, waiting for Zhane to come out of the computer room. She sighed, knowing that Zhane was just trying to ease their fears of Demios coming to attack them and catch them off guard again. While she was so deep in thought she didn't hear Zhane come in, and jumped when his arms wrapped around her waist. "It's just me," Zhane whispered in her ear. Karone leaned backwards and Zhane tightened his arms around her.

"So...what was this thing you were planing?" Karone asked after a moment. He turned her around in his arms.

Before answering, he planted a kiss on her lips. He led her to the holo-deck, and pressed a couple buttons, and it went back to their spot on K035. "I've been wanting to go back here for a while...and I know it isn't as good as the real thing..."

Karone interrupted him by kissing him lovingly on the lips, "It's the thought that counts," she murmured. Zhane grinned, and they sat down by the tree they always sat under, and Zhane wrapped his arms around her. Even though it wasn't the same as their spot, it still felt better than just staying in the tech room, trying to find a weakness that Demios had. "Thank you Zhane," she whispered, looking up at his face.

He put a kiss on her lips, and pulled away with a light smile. "I love you Karone,"

"Love you too," Karone said, as she settled herself in his arms once again.


	8. Chapter 8

Zhane noticed that Karone had fallen asleep in his arms, but decided that he didn't want to move just yet. Zhane knew that Karone was getting worried about him, since he was on a mission to find out Demios' plans and everything. He looked down at her, and felt her cling tightly to him. He knew that he had to stop focusing on Demios as much as he had. Their best friends had just died...and a new team had replaced them already...he promised himself he wouldn't let that happen to Karone. Now that he was looking at her again, he needed to make another promise. He wasn't going to drift away from Karone. He brought her closer, nuzzling her neck. She sighed in her sleep, and snuggled in closer to him.

Zhane looked around at their spot, and wished that they were there for real. Zhane carefully gathered Karone fully into his arms, and carefully got up on to his feet. Karone murmured something, but stayed asleep. Zhane smiled at her and headed towards their room, being careful not to wake her up. "DECA...can you open up the door?" he whispered, and DECA complied, opening up the door. Zhane walked in the room, and telekinetically pulled the sheets back. He laid her down on the bed, and pulled the sheets over her, and was about to go towards the computer, when he heard Karone murmur in his name in her sleep.

Zhane walked over towards the bed, and crawled into bed. He wrapped his arms around her, and she sighed happily while she slept. Zhane closed his eyes, soon joining Karone as she slept. A couple hours later, Karone woke up, and saw Zhane was holding her as he slept. She smiled, and leaned her head on his chest, glad that Zhane had stayed with her. She couldn't believe that she fell asleep in the holodeck...

Zhane brought his lips on to Karone's and murmured, "Morning,"

"Hey," she whispered against his lips. She smiled, and it was apparent to Zhane how happy she was that he had not went and done more work. Zhane grinned at her, and kissed her again on the lips. "Thanks..." she whispered, rubbing her head into his chest.

Without any further explanation, Zhane knew what she was talking about. "I know I haven't been there much..." he whispered. Karone stopped him from saying more, by kissing him on the lips.

"It's ok..." she whispered, running a hand over his chest. Zhane smiled, glad that she wasn't upset with him. He ran a hand through her hair, and they stayed in comfortable silence. "I know that you are trying to save us...don't worry...I'm not ever going to get mad about that," she assured him.

"I'm glad," he said in a relieved voice, "but I am going to try and not to focus that so much," he promised, squeezing her against him.

"Thanks Zhane," she breathed. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too Karone," Zhane whispered.

Earth

Ashley sighed as she walked around her house. Demios hadn't made an attempt to attack for a week, and she was starting to get worried. Suddenly someone knocked on the door, jumping Ashley out of her train of thought. She walked over towards the door, and smiled when she saw that it was Zac. She opened up the door, and gave him a grin. "Hey Zac..." she said with a grin.

"Hey Ashley," Demios said with a grin. "I know this is really last minute...but I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner?" he asked, and Ashley then noticed that his longish brown hair was down and he had a silk shirt on.

"That sounds good..." she looked down at herself, and cringed. She was just in sweat pants and a t-shirt; totally inappropriate for dinner. "How about you come inside for a couple minutes...and I'll go get ready," she opened the door a little bit wider to let Demios in.

"Sure," Demios said to her. He walked into the room, and sat down on the couch. Ashley hurried into her room, and started to fix her hair. She pulled on a yellow dress, and fixed her makeup, and grabbed a sweater. Walking down the stairs, she slung on some heeled shoes. Demios stood up and bit back a gasp as he saw Ashley. A grin broke out onto her face when she saw Demios face. "Wow Ash...you look beautiful," he breathed. A blush crept on to her face, as he offered his arm out to her. Ashley looped her arm through his, and he brought her towards the car he had created. Using the computer on the ship, he had mastered driving the human car.

"Nice ride," Ashley said, as he led her to the car. He opened up the passenger side door, and Ashley piled got in. Demios closed the door, and went to the driver's side. He started up the car, and started to drive. Demios looked at Ashley as he drove, and he couldn't help but smile as he saw the excitement in Ashley's eyes. He resisted the urge to shake his head, seeing that Ashley was looking at him. "Where are we going?"

"Just to a little Italian restaurant around the corner," he said to her. Ashley smiled, and Demios parked the car. Pulling on her thin sweater, Ashley was braced with the cold of the night. Demios thought for a moment, and reached into the back seat. He grabbed a jacket, that reminded him a little of his cape, and opened up his door. Demios walked over to Ashley and pulled his jacket over her shoulders.

"Zac..." she said in a touched voice. "Thank you," she said putting her hands through the loops. Zac wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and brought her into the restaurant. He continued to rub her arms after they got inside, making sure she warmed up. Demios knew that he had already earned her trust...but he couldn't help but worry about her. "You are so thoughtful," she said, as they got seated by a waiter.

"The food is great here..." Zac commented, as they got seated into a booth. Still noticing that Ashley was shivering a little bit, "Are you still cold?" he questioned.

"I'll be ok," she murmured. Demios shook his head, and lifted up his arm beckoning her over. Ashley smiled, and leaned into him. "Thanks..." she said, and felt totally at ease as he had his arm draped over her. Demios took a peek at Ashley as she glanced at the menu. Ashley caught him, and lifted her head up. Slowly her face came towards his, and Demios knew he shouldn't be deviating from the plan this much, but soon it didn't matter as their lips met in a sweet kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you so much Rah!! You practically wrote this whole entire chapter for me, because my muse decided to walk away for a bit and do her own thing. So thanks so much!! And Thanks to all who keep reviewing to continue making this story grow :D_

Demios brought his hand to her neck, hesitantly kissed her back. They pulled apart just in time for the waitress to appear. Demios licked his lips, trying to compose himself and Ashley blushed.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked. Both Demios and Ashley gave their orders and the waitress walked away. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So are you liking public school?" Ashley asked. Demios smiled a little.

"Different. Better than expected," he answered smoothly. Ashley gave a little giggle.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. I guess I just needed someone to help me out," Demios answered. They shared some more small talk until their meals came. The meal was pleasant and in no time, they were sitting in Ashley's driveway. Ashley tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Thanks for taking me out tonight," she said.

"Anytime," he replied, smiling at her. He was fighting back the feeling that had slowly been growing in him. It disgusted him and it scared him too. After a minute, she climbed out and he followed her up to the front door.

"Well I guess I'll see you later," Demios said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Ashley watched him go and let out a sigh. With a small squeal she teleported to the Megaship and ran into Cassie.

"Why do you look so happy?" Cassie asked.

"I just got back from a wonderful date," Ashley said, practically bouncing in joy. Cassie had never seen Ashley this happy before. Cassie couldn't help but wonder if Carlos had been the one to finally ask her out. "Zac came over and surprised me!" she giddily said. Cassie tried to keep a happy face for her best friend. She wasn't so sure about this Zac person...she didn't know why either.

"Thats great Ash..." Cassie said to her, putting a couple strands of long black hair behind her ear. Ashley noted the reluctance in her voice and frowned.

"You don't sound very enthused," she commented.

"No...I am. I just thought...maybe Carlos had asked you out," Cassie admitted. Ashley's brow knit together. She and Carlos were just friends...right?

"Oh...no. Zac and I are kind of...well...close," she mumbled. Cassie just nodded. Ashley sighed, her mood dampened quite a bit. "Why does everyone have something against him?" Cassie bit back a sigh, already knowing why Carlos had something against him. "Cassie..." she said, pulling her away from the computer.

"I don't know Ashley, really," she said, not wanting to hurt her friend's feelings.

"Ok..." Ashley sighed, letting Cassie off the hook.

On the Dark Fortress, Demios was pacing back and forth, his sword balanced in his hands. He took in a deep breath, feeling it in his fingers. It felt like a familiar friend. He wished he could carry it with him when he was on Earth but he couldn't risk being found out. He was so focused on the sword he didn't hear Ecliptor come in.

"My Prince," he said. Demios nearly dropped the weapon.

"Do not do interrupt me!" he howled.

"I wasn't aware I was interrupting," Ecliptor mumbled. Ecliptor looked at the young prince, and saw a look he hadn't ever seen in his eyes. "What is bothering you my lord?"

"Besides you interrupting me?" Demios shot, bending down to pick up his fallen weapon. Ecliptor nodded, and Demios shook his head. Deciding not to tell Ecliptor about the feelings growing inside of him. "The plan isn't going as fast as I wanted it to," he said. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it seemed to satisfy Ecliptor.

"Well...for this kind of plan to work it is bound to take some time," Ecliptor said, and Demios just nodded, not really focusing on the conversation. Not even cleaning off his sword was getting his mind off of the one thing he didn't want it on. Why in the world couldn't he get Ashley Hammond off of his mind?

Demios looked over at Ecliptor and sighed.

"Just...leave me," he ordered.

"As you wish, my Prince," the creature muttered, leaving the young man to his brooding. Demios sheethed his weapon and looked around. He needed to get his mind off of the Yellow Ranger and quickly. If he didn't, he feared he would go insane. An idea hit him and he grinned with pleasure. As quietly as he could, he teleported to the distant planet of Onyx. He appeared in a large room filled with humanoid women. They all fluttered their lashes and giggled at his arrival. He sat down and several of the girls slid into his lap.

"It's good to be evil," he sighed.

Mega Ship

Carlos went up towards the bridge where he thought he had heard Ashley's voice. He had a bouquet of flowers in his hands, and he hoped he wasn't too late to ask Ashley out. He sighed, since practically everyone knew he had the biggest crush on a certain yellow ranger for some time. Just as he was about to walk in, she had boldly declared that Zac had taken her out on a date. He couldn't help but feel crushed. Turning around, he dumped the flowers in the garbage dispenser, and walked towards the holo-deck. As Ashley walked around the bridge, she saw that someone was in the holo-deck. "I am going to go see who that is," Ashley said, and Cassie just nodded. As she was walking towards the hol-deck, her eye caught the bouquet in the garbage. She pulled them out, and frowned as she headed towards the holo-deck once again. Ashley put the passcode to open the doors, and the swung open. Ashley saw that Carlos had set up a battle simulation, and gasped when she saw him losing the battle.

Throwing her shoes off, she ran towards Carlos tackling some Quantrons. After a few moments of fighting, she cut off the program. Carlos started to slump and Ashley caught him against her. "What the hell were you thinking setting the level that high?" she snapped at him.

"Like you care," he said, managing to stand up on his own.

"Carlos, you are my friend, of course I care," she said to him. Carlos wanted to bite back and say if she really cared she would have seen all the signals he had sent out, practically screaming that he wanted to date her. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Ashley...its really obvious," he said, as she led him to a bench. He wheezed as he sat down, and she gave his hand a squeeze.

"So are you going to tell me?" she asked.

"Fine, but you aren't going to like the answer," he muttered. "Ashley...I have been wanting to date you for so long..." Ashley's face paled, and Carlos sighed. "I told you," he said, pulling away.

"Carlos...I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling guilty. A part of her wished she had the same feelings for Carlos as he had for her. Ashley couldn't help but feel the feelings she had for Zac. She really liked him, but she didn't feel anything for Carlos beyond friendship. Carlos stopped pulling away and looked at her. "I really am...I can't change how I feel..." Carlos sighed, and nodded his head. At least he knew where they stood at the present moment.

"Its ok Ash..." Carlos whispered. They stayed in uncomfortable silence, and Ashley decided that she should take him to the infirmary. "Ashley...I'll be fine,"

"Well, Alpha should still take a look at you," Ashley said. "You know the fire hazards of being a Power Ranger can be," she said to him. Carlos let her lead him to the infirmary, and sighed, still wishing that Ashley felt the same way that he did.

"You can go be with Zac now...you don't have to stay here," Carlos said, a little bit of bitterness entering his voice.

"God!" Ashley shouted. "I am trying to be nice Carlos! I know that this is hard for you, but get over it!" she yelled at him. "When you are done being an asshole, let me know. I want my friend back!" and with that she turned around and headed towards the teleportation room.

Carlos sighed, and Alpha immediately started to fuss over him, "Carlos, what happened..."

"Put the training level too high on the holo deck," Carlos muttered, and Alpha would roll his eyes if he had a human set of eyes.

"Ay yi yi," Alpha grumbled. He wondered what was wrong with Ashley, and decided to ask Carlos. "What is bothering Ashley?" he questioned, as he fixed Carlos up.

"I told Ashley how I feel...and I got a little snippy about her new beau," Carlos mumbled as Alpha cleaned up his split lip. Alpha let out a robotic sigh.

"Carlos...if you wanted to have her as a girlfriend...you should have taken her out for dinner a while ago," Alpha said to him.

"I know..." Carlos murmured.

Ashley stormed off towards the telportation room and teleported home. "Hey Ashley," Ashley and she turned around and saw her older brother Alex.

"Hey!" Ashley said, in an excited voice and Alex pulled her into a hug. "When did you get back?" she asked pulling away.

"Just a couple hours ago," he said. "I saw the note that you left for mom and dad," he said to her. "So who is the lucky guy?" Alex asked, and Ashley wasn't sure if she should tell him or not.

"A new guy from school," Ashley said to Alex as Alex led her to the kitchen table. Alex was surprised that it wasn't Carlos. He had seen Carlos ogling Ashley last time he was here, and he had to give Carlos a strict talk if he ever did date Ashley that he had to treat his little sister right. "Ok...why is everyone giving me that look today?" Ashley sighed.

Alex sighed, and put a hand on his little sister's shoulder, and gave her a smile, "Ashley I am really happy for you," he said to her. By the tone in his voice, she knew that he really was happy for her.

"Thanks Alex," she whispered, and he pulled her into a hug. "You are the best," she whispered against his shoulder. "So, I see that you are growing your hair out," she said after pulling away, lightly touching the brown hair reaching his chin.

"Yeah...its a good thing that you mentioned that, Mom will freak out if she sees it grew out this much," he reached into one of his free bags, and pulled out a hat, tucking his hair under it.

Back on Onyx, Demios sighed as two of the girls rubbed soothing oils into his skin. Another was in his lap, her lips leaving small wet spots along his neck. He threaded his fingers through her hair.

"Can I get you anything?" another of the girls asked, bending low to expose her cleavage.

"A drink. Go," he answered. She scurried off and Demios returned his attentions to the girls around him.

"We have missed you," one of them purred.

"I'm sure you have," he sneered. It felt good to be in the presence of all these women, ready and willing to cater to his every desire. He had to remind himself that he was not a one woman kind of guy. He let them continue to pamper him and he downed the shot the moment she returned. He handed the glass back to her and waved her away. He turned to the girl in his lap, lifting her chin with his finger.

"Do you know what I want tonight?" he whispered against her skin.

"Tell me, my Prince," she replied. He could see the arousal coursing through her veins. He would have fun with her. He couldn't be entirely certain why but he enjoyed a good cat fight.

"You," he simpered. She shivered in excitement and he couldn't help but let a peel of laughter escape him. He pressed her to him and let his lips caress her neck. She gave a soft moan before he bit down. She whimpered and it only egged him on. Soon he had pinned her to the floor, arms above her head. The other girls watched as he tore her skirt from her slender body. He took her and she cried in pain. A couple of the onlookers gave cries of enthusiasm as he held her down.

They all knew it was a right of passage, even if some didn't want it. But no one argued with Demios. Speaking out cost you your life where he was concerned. He finished with her and stood up, looking around. The drink girl had returned, bringing the entire bottle of scotch with her. He took the bottle and drank straight from it. He might as well fully enjoy the night.

A few hours and several women later, he stood to leave. He was much happier than when he had arrived. He appeared on the Dark Fortress and ran into Ecliptor.

"My Prince where have you been?" the creature asked. Demios raised an eyebrow. Was that concern in the creature's voice?

"Out. It is not your concern," Demios quipped.

"I heard...you were on Onyx. You know that is a dangerous place given your...status," Ecliptor replied.

"I will conduct my business when and wherever I please. Who did you hear this from?" Demios hissed. Ecliptor took a moment before answering. He knew the young Prince would not approve of his source.

"Darconda," he answered. Demios' face contorted in rage.

"Bring him to me at once. The filthy spy," he roared and stormed off.

Ecliptor stood still, watching Demios walk away. He knew this would not end well. But then again, Darconda was not a friend. He could see him suffer and not feel bad about it. Knowing Demios despised being kept waiting long, the creature headed to the control room. Darconda was still standing there.

"He wishes to speak with you in private," Ecliptor said.

"Of course," Darconda replied with a sneer but did not move.

"He does not like to be kept waiting," Ecliptor spat. Darconda gave a laugh but headed off. He found Demios standing in an open room, staring at the passing stars. He had his back to Darconda, his sword resting at his side.

"You wanted to speak with me," Darconda said, hand on his own weapon. Demios did not respond immediately. Darcond stood there, waiting for an answer. Finally Demios turned on his heel, a dark look in his gaze.

"I do not tolerate spies in my midst, Darconda," he said sharply.

"Has someone spied on you?" Darconda asked, acting innocent.

"Do not lie to me. I despise liars just as much as spies like you," Demios growled, his hand unsheething his weapon. Darconda reached for his own but it was out of his grip instantly, lying out of reach. Demios took two steps forward.

"You will not cross me again," he snarled, leveling his blade.


	10. Chapter 10

Darconda stared at the young man in front of him. He gave a small laugh that sounded more like a rasp as Demios raised his free hand, sending the creature flying across the room.

"Please...I beg you," Darconda coughed, stumbling to his feet.

"Oh...you think begging will spare you," Demios laughed sharply. He began to spin the blade in his fingers as he stared the creature down.

"My Prince..." Darconda hacked but it was too late. Demios let the blade fly, landing blow after blow to Darconda's body. He had no way of fighting back. Darconda stopped writhing after a moment, and Demios stopped the continuous blows. He bent down towards Darconda and wiped his blade clean. He sheathed his sword, and turned around.

"Good riddance," Demios muttered under his breath, leaving the room. He pointed a hand at one of the Quantrons, and commanded, "You…take that," gesturing towards Darconda's lifeless body, "and dump it in space,"

A couple weeks later, Demios had been getting closer and closer to Ashley. A part of him really enjoyed getting to know Ashley, and it was starting to overpower his disgust. He teleported himself down to Earth, and he headed towards Ashley's house. Despite Ecliptor's warnings, he still hadn't hastened his plans on getting Ashley to the Dark Fortress. Putting on a warm smile, he knocked on the front door.

Ashley lifted her head up, and turned off her CD player. Since she was the only one in the house, she bounded down the stairs. She opened up the door, and nearly slammed it when she saw it was Zac. "Hey…" she repressed the urge to cringe. She was just in normal house stuff, and here was Zac, all in nice clothes and everything.

Demios chuckled at Ashley, apparently seeing her embarrassment. "So…are you busy?" he asked.

"No…not at all," Ashley said, opening the door a little wider. "Want to come in?" she asked, and Demios nodded.

"Thanks," he said, walking into the living room.

"You kind have caught me at an awkward time," Ashley said, a blush of embarrassment finally creeping onto her face. Demios couldn't help but want to comfort, and alleviate any worries of Ashley being awkward looking.

"You look beautiful," he said, wrapping his arms around Ashley. She laughed, and playfully swatted his chest.

"You are just saying that to make me feel better," Ashley whispered. He shook his head, and nuzzled her neck.

"No Ash…" Demios protested, "You always look beautiful," Ashley's blush grew deeper and he kissed her on the lips. Ashley wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. They pulled away, and he rested his forehead against hers.

"You are really sweet," she whispered. "Do you want anything to drink?" she asked, pulling away a little bit.

"No…I think I am ok," Demios said, taking his coat off.

"I haven't seen you at school for the past couple days," Ashley commented with a frown, as she got a bowl out for some cereal. Demios wrapped his arms around her from the behind.

"I had to do some stuff…" Demios murmured against her ear.

"What kind of stuff?" Ashley questioned, grabbing some Frosted Flakes. Demios frowned, trying to come up with a reason.

"Family friend died," he said, his frown deepening. Ashley dropped the box of cereal, and turned around in his embrace. Ashley wrapped her arms around him, tightly embracing him. Demios was in shock. Never in his life, had anyone done this for him. He shuddered remembering his childhood, and instantly blocked out the evil memory.

"I'm sorry Zac," she whispered, "were you close?" she questioned.

"I'll be ok," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. "It was so sad everywhere…" he murmured, bringing his face into her neck. "I needed to get away from the sadness, and you were the person I thought of to get away from it," he said squeezing her gently.

"Ok," Ashley said to him, but didn't pull away. "What do you want to do?" she asked, her hands running up and down his back.

"This is ok," he whispered. "Just hanging out," Ashley nodded, and pulled away slightly. She looped her hand through his and led him to the couch. Ashley leaned into Demios as they sat down, and he couldn't help but like the fact that she was just there. It wasn't even though she was a beautiful girl, but…he mentally shook his head. Focus on the mission, he thought to himself. He brought his gaze to Ashley's and gave her a smile. "Thanks," he murmured against her hair.

"You're welcome," she whispered, bringing her body closer to his. Demios smiled and let his hand go in through her hair.

Mega Ship

Zhane sighed, and rubbed his face. He turned to Karone, who was stretching her arms and decided it was time for a break. They had been on watch for a while, and Cassie and Carlos had showed up to help them with the search. "I think we deserve to have a break," Zhane said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Alright boss man," Carlos whooped and Cassie giggled at him. Despite Ashley's complete rejection to Carlos, he had managed to keep a happy appearance for the rest of the team. Though he was now surprised that Cassie had been hanging out with him more often. Carlos would have thought that Cassie would be with Ashley.

Ignoring Cassie and Carlos, Zhane turned to Karone and saw her yawning. He wrapped an arm around Karone's waist, and gave her a worried glance. _I'm fine Zhane_, she assured him silently. "So…what are we going to do?" Karone questioned, leaning into Zhane.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Carlos said to them all, "but I think I am going down to the Surf Shack,"

"That sounds good to me," Cassie said to him, and Carlos nodded. Karone once again yawned, and Zhane squeezed her against him.

"I think we are going to stay up here," Zhane said to Cassie and Carlos. Karone shot Zhane a look.

"Lets go with them," Karone murmured, "I want to get out of here for a bit," Zhane frowned at Karone's tired face, but nodded. He wasn't going to let her do anything to strenuous. They teleported down to Earth, and they walked towards the Surf Shack.

"Hey," Adele called out; "How you kids doing?" she asked Karone, Zhane, Cassie, and Calros.

"We are doing great," Carlos said, and Adele smiled back at them.

"What can I get you all?" she asked, a pen and pad out and ready in her hands.

"A few burgers, and some sodas," he said. He reached into his wallet, and got out a couple ten-dollar bills.

"Carlos…you don't have to buy for all of us," Cassie said to him.

"I don't mind Cass," he said. Adele gave Cassie and Carlos a knowing smile, and turned to get their orders ready. Zhane wasn't really paying attention to Carlos and Cassie; he was mainly focused on Karone. He squeezed her hand gently, and slowly started to rub it.

"What's going on Karone? Are you feeling ok?" he asked, putting his other hand on her cheek.

"Just a little tired, that's all," she assured him.

"I'm sorry…I guess I had us looking too…" Zhane started to apologize, thinking he was overworking her.

"Shush," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Its not your fault," she whispered, her hand running down his arm. "Just had a hard time sleeping last night, that's all,"

"You want to go back to the ship?" he murmured, brushing his lips against her ear. Karone bit her lip, knowing Zhane deserved a break. "Karone…honey," he whispered, bringing her gaze back up to his.

"Zhane…" she started.

"Come on…" he murmured, gently tugging her arm, "I am going to take you back up there,"

"But what about you getting a break…I can get back up there by myself," she said to him. Zhane didn't listen to her, and headed towards Adele.

"Hey Adele," Zhane called out.

"What is it sugar?" she asked.

"Can you make two of those burgers to go? I am going to take Karone home," he whispered.

"Sure…is she feeling alright?" she asked, bagging two burgers and a basket of French fries.

"Just a little tired," Zhane answered. Adele smiled at Zhane.

"You are so good to her. She is a very lucky girl," Zhane smiled taking the bag.

"Thanks Adele, have a good day,"

"You too Zhane," she gave Karone a wave as Zhane headed towards her.

"Zhane…what about hanging out at the Surf Shack?" Karone asked, finally allowing the exhaustion to show on her face. "Don't you-," Zhane sighed, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Karone…I would rather be with you, and knowing that you are ok," he murmured, kissing her on the cheek. They teleported back to the Mega Ship, and Karone settled herself on their bed. Zhane laid down next to Karone, and wrapped his arms around her. He ran his hand up and down her back.

"Zhane…" she murmured sleepily.

"What is it Karone?" he softly questioned as she drowsed off into his arms.

"Love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Zhane whispered. She drifted to sleep with him cradling her in his arms, and Zhane soon fell asleep as well.

Dark Fortress

"Ecliptor!" Ecliptor shuddered as Dark Specter's voice rang out. "Where is Demios?" he growled.

"He is on Earth…attempting to complete his plan," Ecliptor said to the gruesome creature.

"Demios has had more than a month to complete this plan of his. Why don't you assist Demios and bring the girl up here already?" Ecliptor sighed, but nodded. He wasn't about to disobey a direct order from the head honcho himself. He sent a squad of Quantrons down towards Ashley's house, and he teleported himself down towards Earth as well.

Earth

Ashley snuggled closer to Demios, and he squeezed her gently against him. He knew that he should be getting Ashley out of the house, and putting his plan into action. "Something wrong?" Ashley asked, noticing how quiet he was. He just shook his head, and Ashley lifted her head from his shoulder.

"I'm fine Ashley," Demios lied, and Ashley laid a hand on his chest.

"It is ok to feel bad you know?" Ashley whispered in his ear. Demios frowned. She didn't even know the half of it. Suddenly a group of Quantrons teleported into the living room. This wasn't apart of the plan! Demios lifted Ashley from the couch, and sprinted outside, dragging her by the arm. He turned around the corner. A part of him was saying that he should have just let it play out, but the other more demanding part wanted to protect Ashley. He felt Ashley's hand rip out of his grasp, and he turned and saw her being dragged away by a couple Quantrons.

He was about to summon some energy into his hands, when he saw Ashley get herself away from the Quantrons. "I got to get you out of here!" Ashley shouted, and suddenly green lights formed into Ecliptor, and he grabbed both Ashley and Demios, before disappearing once again.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks to all my faithful reviewers, and thank you Challon, for helping me write the beginning of the chapter. I really appreciate it!_

The next thing Demios knew, he and Ashley were being shoved to the floor of a holding cell on the Dark Fortress. He hurriedly got himself up from the floor and went over to check on Ashley. She was already scrambling to stand when he reached her side, so he helped her up. When they straightened up, they saw that Ecliptor was still standing in front of them with a squadron of quantrons behind him.

Ashley moved to stand slightly in front of Demios. "What do you want Ecliptor?" she demanded.

Ecliptor ignored her question and turned to the quantrons behind him. "Grab the boy," he ordered giving Demios a look as he said it. The quantrons rushed forward into the cell, but were held up for a few minutes when Ashley tried to fight them off.

There were too many and she was thrown to the floor again as they moved forward and latched onto Demios's arms and pulled him toward Ecliptor. He pretended to struggle in their arms for show, but he was barely containing his anger with Ecliptor. He would play along for now, but later Ecliptor would be getting an earful.

"Let him go Ecliptor, you don't want him!" Ashley yelled as she got back to her feet. Quantrons grabbed a hold of Ashley's arms, and she instantly started to struggle in their grip.

"Zac," she called out, looking at him worriedly. One of the quantrons bent his arm behind his back roughly and a grunt of pain escaped his lips. There would definitely be one less quantron on his ship when this was all over.

All that made Ashley struggle more against her captors. "Let him go," she repeated, a little panic seeping into her voice now. Ecliptor walked over to Demios, unsheathing his sword as he went. He grabbed Demios's shirt and put his sword to his throat. Ashley stopped struggling and asked again, "What do you want?"

Ecliptor laughed evilly. "I want you to give me the codes to the Megaship yellow ranger, or your boyfriend here dies," Ecliptor replied, jerking on Demios's shirt to show that he meant it.

Ashley's eyes darted to Zac to catch his reaction to her identity being revealed and saw that he didn't look surprised at all. 'Maybe it's because he has a sword to his throat, maybe he just didn't notice?' she thought.

"What do you say, yellow ranger?" Ecloptor said interrupting her thoughts. There was still no shock or suprise on Zac's face. She shook her head, clearing her mind. She'd worry about that later.

"Just let him go," Ashley said in a defeated voice. "I'll tell you what you want to know," she murmured, bringing her gaze downwards. The Quantrons moved her gaze towards Zac, and finally she saw some fear playing out in his eyes. "I said I would tell you wanted to know, so let him go!" Ashley demanded, tears entering her eyes.

"No…I will decide when little boyfriend over here gets to go," he said tightening his hold on Demios. He let out a small grunt when he felt the blade against his throat go a little deeper. "If I don't like your answer, the Quantrons will have some fun with him," he said shaking Demios a little bit.

Mega Ship

DECA's alarm system started blaring, shooting Karone and Zhane out of their peaceful sleep. Zhane looked at the camera, "What is going on DECA?" he managed to shout over the alarm. DECA turned down the volume, and began to reply while alerting the other rangers.

"Ashley and her friend have been kidnapped by Ecliptor," DECA informed them. Karone sprang out of bed, and Zhane was at her heels.

"DECA scan for the Dark Fortress, and teleport the other rangers here now!" Karone shouted. "Who knows what Demios is going to be doing to her…" she murmured, extremely worried about her new friend.

"She is a strong ranger," Zhane said, giving Karone's hand a gentle squeeze as he managed the controls of the Mega Ship. Carlos, Cassie, and TJ teleported onto the Mega Ship.

"What's going on?" TJ asked, looking at Karone and Zhane's tense bodies.

"Ecliptor kidnapped Ashley and Zac," Zhane said, keeping his eyes on the screen in front of him.

"What?!" Carlos growled.

"We are going to go grab her," Zhane promised. "We are not losing another ranger," he said in a determined voice.

Dark Fortress

"I told you everything I know!" Ashley screamed at Ecliptor. Zac was limp in his arms, and he threw him to the floor. The Quantrons finally let Ashley go, and she scrambled down to Zac.

"Good girl," Ecliptor said, and he left the room. The Quantrons stayed in the room, guarding them. Ashley felt tears enter her eyes as she ladled Zac's head onto her lap.

"Zac…I'm so sorry," she whispered, and she felt him starting to wake up. Zac weakly opened up his eyes, and reached out for Ashley's hand. She grasped it, and gave it a squeeze. "I am so sorry," she apologized again, and it took a moment for Demios to realize that. Nonetheless he leaned into her and she brought him closer.

"Ash…" he managed to choke out. Demios was flaming pissed. Not only had Ecliptor interfered too early, those freaking Quantrons had been way too convincing. "Its not your fault," he gasped out.

"Yeah it is," Ashley whispered. Demios opened his mouth to speak, but Ashley put a couple fingers on his lips. "I am going to get you out of here," she promised. She knew her morpher was disabled here, so she couldn't just morph her way out. Demios got to a sitting position, but Ashley refused to let go. "Just rest ok?" Ashley said, wiping her face with her hands. She helped Demios crawl over to a wall next to them.

"Ashley," he whispered, "You can't take on all of them," he said, starting to regain his strength back. The room started to shake, and flashes of different colors started to shine through, and instantly the Astro Rangers were there. The Quantrons turned their heads in their direction and headed for them. Ashley jumped on one of their shoulders, and managed to wrestle it to the ground.

"I'm fine!" Ashley called out when Cassie and Zhane approached her. "Go get Zac!" she said, and they saw him trying to stand up on his own. She kicked down the other Quantron and headed for Zac once again. "Can you stand up?" Ashley asked. Demios tried to stand up on his own, but couldn't. He leaned onto Ashley, and she wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders.

"DECA, six to teleport out!" Zhane yelled, and instantly they were back on the Mega Ship.

"Can one of you guys take Zac to the infirmary?" Ashley questioned. TJ nodded, and Demios was finally ok to walk by himself. "Zhane…you need to get everything re-done, re-wired, whatever…"

"What did you tell them?" Zhane growled.


	12. Chapter 12

"Ashley…what did you tell them?" Zhane growled again, getting a little closer to Ashley. She instantly shrank away from him, and Karone tried to restrain Zhane back. Zhane shook his arm from her grasp, and continued to glare at Ashley.

"They wanted some codes…I had no idea what they wanted with them," she murmured softly, tears glistening in her eyes. Zhane's gazed darkened, and Ashley retreated another step back. "They were hurting Zac…"

"You weren't supposed to tell them any code of any kind!" Zhane roared. "What the hell is the matter with you?" he was getting closer to Ashley, and Carlos stepped in front of Ashley, and pushed Zhane away.

"Will you leave her alone?" Carlos snapped at Zhane. "She didn't have any choice in the matter Zhane," Carlos said. Zhane's jaw worked, clearly trying to bite back another angry remark.

"DECA, we need to re-work every single code we have on this ship right now," he said in a tight voice.

"Affirmative," DECA's cool voice replied, and before Zhane could do or say anything he made himself walk out of the room. Carlos turned to Ashley, and saw tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Thanks," Ashley murmured, not looking at Carlos. Before Carlos could try to comfort Ashley, Karone went to her new friend.

"Ash…Zhane didn't mean to explode like that," Karone murmured, and Ashley looked up at Karone. "I'm really sorry," she said to Ashley. Ashley looked at Karone in shock, not expecting that from her.

"Thanks," Ashley whispered softly, once again bringing her gaze downwards. Karone wrapped her arms around the other girl, and Ashley stiffened in her embrace. Ashley reluctantly put her arms around Karone, her mind practically going into shock.

"I'm sorry," Karone apologized pulling away. Noticing how shocked Ashley was, she pulled away fully. Still feeling bad for Ashley, she knew that she had to get Zhane to apologize. "I am going to go see if I can calm Zhane down," Karone said to Ashley, walking off the bridge. Ashley walked towards the infirmary, and saw that TJ had helped Zac on to one of the beds. Demios turned his head towards where Ashley was, and he gave her a weak smile.

"How are you doing?" Ashley asked in a hoarse voice.

"I'm ok," he said sitting up a little straighter, looking at her tearstained face. He reached out with one of his hands, and placed it on her face. "Hey…"

"I'm ok," Ashley said, grabbing his hand. Demios knew that he had to find a way to look around the place, to follow the plan all the way through. He brought Ashley closer, and had her sit down on the bed with him. All that seemed to enter his thoughts were about Ashley. He wrapped his arms around her, and Ashley instantly leaned into him.

"Ashley…it's not your fault, you know that right?" Demios asked. Ashley didn't answer, and Demios brought her closer. "It is not your fault," he repeated, brushing his lips over her forehead. More like his fault. Demios cursed his weaker side, and he knew that he had to follow the plan, and pull out.

"Thanks," Ashley whispered, "I…couldn't let them keep doing that to you…I'm sorry I couldn't get them to stop sooner," she said, looking away from him. Demios brought his hand to her chin, and had her face him once again. He briefly placed his lips on top of hers, letting her know that he wasn't angry.

As Karone searched for Zhane, she found him in the tech room. Karone saw how mad Zhane still was, and turned to leave him alone. "Its ok Karone," Zhane said, stopping her. She turned around, and saw him working on changing the codes.

"You want some help?" she offered. Zhane turned his gaze to Karone, and she walked over to him.

"So you come to yell at me?" he asked, guilt entering his voice.

"No…" Karone whispered, imputing the last of the sequence Zhane had started. Zhane grabbed her hand, and he rubbed the back of them.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and Karone leaned into him.

"Its not me that you have to apologize to," Karone said, wrapping her arms around him. She knew that Zhane needed her. It was hard being the leader, and it looked like it was finally taking some toll on him. Karone squeezed him tightly, and Zhane leaned his head in to her neck. "But I understand why you got so angry," she said to him rubbing his back. Zhane looked down at his girlfriend, and squeezed her gently.

"Thanks," he murmured, pulling away, and he gave her smile. Karone grinned back at him, and then looked at the panels. "I got most of it done already," he whispered.

"Ok…how about I help you get these done…" Karone said. Zhane grinned at her, glad to see that she wasn't too angry with him.

"That sounds good," Zhane whispered, and in the next few minutes they were done. "I should apologize to Ashley…." Zhane sighed, "I am just not sure how to word it…"

"Its ok Zhane…I think all Ashley cares about is that you want to apologize," Karone said. Zhane nodded, and they headed to find Ashley. Zhane was silent, and that was totally unlike him. Karone squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back appreciatively. "It is going to be ok Zhane," Karone promised him.

"I know it will be," Zhane said. "I don't know what I would do without you," Zhane said to Karone.

"I didn't do anything…" Karone murmured.

"You were there for me when I needed you…" Zhane said, halting his walk. Zhane kissed her longingly on the lips, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you," he whispered.

"I'm glad that I can help," Karone said, and Zhane squeezed her gently.

"Me too," Zhane said. "She is probably in the infirmary with Zac," Zhane said, and they walked towards the infirmary. As they walked into the infirmary Zhane saw that Ashley had fallen asleep, leaning her head on Zac's shoulder. Painkillers must have kicked in for Zac, since he was asleep as well, one arm wrapped around Ashley. Karone walked over to the medical closet and pulled out a sheet to put over them. Heeding Karone's silent thoughts, they left the infirmary.

Some time later, Demios woke up to find Ashley cradled in his arms. A part of him was glad to see her safe. But there was another part of him that was still furious with Ecliptor. He had no right to do what he had done, especially without Demios' permission. He needed to get back to the Dark Fortress and set the creature straight. As quietly as he could, he laid Ashley on the bed and teleported off the Megaship. He found Ecliptor looking smug in the control room.

"Traitor," Demios hissed, sword in his hand instantly.

"My..Prince," Ecliptor gulped.


	13. Chapter 13

Demios prepared to take Ecliptor down, when out of nowhere, Dark Specter's voice boomed, "That is enough Demios,"

"He defied my orders," Demios growled, pointedly ignoring Dark Specter.

"This plan was going too slow," Dark Specter growled. "Your head wasn't clear enough to go through the plan the way you wanted it to. Now, let go of Ecliptor," Demios growled and sheathed his sword. "Now...we are going to up your plan. Now either you kill one or all the rangers, or I am going to kill you, then the rangers," Demios sighed angrily, and teleported back to the Mega ship.

"Hey...where'd you go?" Demios turned around, and saw Ashley had a worried look on her face.

"I..." Demios stuttered, "had to go to the bathroom..." Demios said lamely.

"And you couldn't find it?" Ashley finished for him. Demios nodded his head, and Ashley smiled at him. "I'll show you where it is..." Ashley said, gently taking him by the arm. Ashley looked at his face, and squeezed his hand. "Are you doing ok?" Ashley asked Demios. Ashley felt Demios wrap his arms around her, and he inhaled her scent. "Hey..." she whispered, smoothing his hair out from his face. "What's wrong?" she asked rubbing his back.

Demios knew he was not going to let Ashley get hurt, even if he got orders from Dark Specter himself. "I'm ok...just a little woozy," Demios lied, feeling the guilt that was entering him even stronger. Ashley led him back to the bed, and forced him to lay down. "Is there anything I can get you?" she asked, kissing him lightly on the lips. Demios shook his head. Dark Specter had not been kidding with his threat. Did Demios really care for Ashley that much? Was he willing to let himself get killed or worse?

"Ash..." Demios whispered.

"What is it Zac?" Ashley whispered in a worried voice. The ship started to rumble, and Ashley looked at DECA. "DECA what is going on?" Ashley asked, holding Demios on the bed. Demios could feel Dark Specter was coming.

"Ash...I need to get you out of here," Demios whispered, grabbing her arm. He felt his wounds healing already, and felt strong enough to fight if the time came.

"What are you talking about?" Ashley said, noticing that Demios was already out and at them.

Before Demios could answer, Dark Specter's voice boomed, "DEMIOS!!!" Zac dragged Ashley away from the infirmary, and headed for the teleportation room.

"Zac..." Ashley whispered. Demios eyes flashed angrily as he saw that Quantrons were on the ship. Making his sword materialize in his hand. Ashley couldn't believe her eyes. That was the sword Demios used. Easily disposing the Quantrons, he grabbed Ashley by the arm.

The other rangers came in, and Karone saw the same sword that had killed their team. Her eyes darkened, "Demios, get away from her," she said, morphing. Demios grabbed Ashley and pulled her to him.

"She is in trouble," Demios growled. "If I do not get her out of here, Dark Specter will kill her," Ashley looked at Demios in shock. Ashley started to struggle in his grip, "Ashley..." Demios whispered.

"Let go of me!" she shouted. Karone ran towards Demios, and his eyes glowed creating a field blocking Karone. Ashley continued to struggle in his grip, and Demios tightened his arm around her.

"No...whatever trick you are pulling Demios, it isn't going to work!" Zhane shouted as Demios walked away, still holding on to Ashley. She had tears flowing freely from her eyes, and it was starting to tear at Demios' heart. Taking advantage of Demios' slip of attention, Ashley shrugged Demios off of her, simultaneously morphing. She got her Star Slinger out, and aimed it at Demios.

"Ashley...please..." Demios whispered hoarsely, but Ashley ignored his plead and shot at him. Demios effortlessly blocked her shot. Carlos had seen that Ashley was being taken by Demios, and Zhane had hoped he could distract Demios long enough to lower the field.

Getting his Lunar Lance out, he struck out at Demios. Demios saw the black ranger in his peripheral vision, and easily sidestepped him. Carlos put himself in front of Ashley, and Demios felt his anger spike up. "Ash...you ok?" Carlos asked.

"I'm ok," Ashley said shakily. Carlos glared at Demios and once again charged at Demios. Knowing that Carlos was one of Ashley's friends, he wasn't going to kill him. Waving his hand, he sent a wave of electricity at Carlos, knocking him out. "Carlos!" Ashley shouted. Demios once again grabbed onto Ashley, and teleported them onto a ship that Demios had set up for emergencies. "What do you want with me?" Ashley growled at Demios. She was hiding the hurt she had started to feel when she saw that Zac was actually Demios. Instead, she used her anger.

"Ashley...I am telling the truth," Demios murmured, "Dark Specter is going to try and kill you,"

"Isn't that what you are going to do?" Ashley shot back at Demios. Demios sighed, but was glad that Ashley stopped struggling in his embrace.

"Ashley...I wasn't...I am not going to hurt you," Demios promised.

"A little late for that isn't it?" Ashley snapped at him.

"Are you going to behave if I let go of your arms?" Demios asked, looking towards the computer console. "Because if we procrastinate any longer, Dark Specter is going to come here and..." Ashley pushed him away, but stayed still as Demios started up the ship. She looked around trying to find a way to escape, so she could go back to the other rangers. Ashley silently walked towards the exit and instantly felt Demios restraining her arms gently. "Ashley, I am trying to save you..."

"Why?" Ashley shot. "There is no reason why you can't kill me now. What the hell are you waiting for?" Ashely spat angrily. Demios shook his head, just as angry as she was. He roughly dragged her away from the exit, and put her back on the bridge. He strapped her down, and made sure she was secure. "You didn't answer my question," Ashley stated.

Demios continued to ignore her, and focused on trying to get them out of here. He didn't care that Ashley was pissed off at him. "Is it that hard to comprehend?" Demios whispered. Just as Ashley opened her mouth to try and comprehend what he was saying, the ship shook violently. "Hold on!" Demios shouted, as the alarms started to blare. He couldn't tell what planet they were heading to, but he had to hope that there was oxygen for him and Ashley to breathe. The next thing he knew, the ship was crash landing onto a planet, and then blackness clouded his vision...


	14. Chapter 14

Demios woke up with a groan, and the first thing he thought about was Ashley. "Ashley," he croaked out. Demios grunted, and pulled himself to his feet. He felt like he had a couple cracked ribs, but he forgot about that as he saw Ashley slumped in the chair he had strapped her in. He walked towards her, and his hand went up to her neck, checking for a pulse. She was just unconscious. He unstrapped her from the chair, and whispered, "Ash...wake up," Ashley let out a soft moan as she woke up, and felt Demios help her out of the chair. "You ok?" Demios asked, putting his hands on her face tenderly.

"I'm ok," Ashley murmured, momentarily forgetting that she was dealing with Demios and not Zac. Ashley jerked away from Demios and stood up. Ashley knew that it was pointless to keep fighting. Demios was more powerful than she was. "So what dump have you crash landed us on?" Ashley asked him bitterly.

Demios looked at the console in front of him, and sighed. "I don't know. Sensors are down...but there is oxygen on the planet for us to breathe," Demios whispered. Ashley gave an exasperated sigh, and nodded her head. Demios started to lead Ashley towards the exit of the ship. Ashley remained silent, and let herself be led out of the ship. Ashley contemplated the last thing that Demios had said to her. Was the answer really hanging out in front of her face? Ashley stayed silent, still trying to figure out what Demios had meant.

"So why are you trying to save me?" Ashley asked. "I thought all you bad guys thought about was yourselves," Demios sighed rubbing his face, and he turned to her again.

"Ashley..." Demios whispered, "never mind," Demios murmured. Ashley sighed, and she softened up her face a little bit.

Ashley moved a little closer to him, but not close enough to touch. "What were you going to say?" she asked. Demios sighed and rubbed his face again.

"You said that I was going to kill you..." Demios whispered. Ashley nodded her head, and Demios swallowed before continuing, "Ashley...I really meant what I said...I am not going to kill you. Ashley...I love you," Out of all the things that she was expecting him to say, that was the bottom of the list. She stopped walking and Demios sighed. "Never mind about my feelings right now, I know you won't ever feel the same, but I need to get you out of here," Ashley couldn't believe that he actually said what he did. Ashley knew she felt the same way about Demios. Demios grabbed Ashley's arm, and started to drag her away from the ship.

Ashley moved her arm, and Demios let go of her. Ashley reached out with her hand and it touched his elbow. "Ash.." he whispered, as her hand moved down to his wrist. Ashley leaned into him, and heard him hiss in pain.

"Demios...I think you got some bruised ribs...or something," Ashley whispered. She noticed there was a first aid kit on the wall, and she grabbed it.

"Ashley we don't have any time to do this," he wheezed as she had him sit down. Ashley opened up the kit, and started to open up Demios' shirt. His ribs were a shade of purple, and Ashley winced. She got some medical tape out of the huge kit and started to wrap his ribs up. Demios looked at Ashley as she wrapped his ribs.

"Stop moving around so much," Ashley commanded and Demios managed to sit still.

"Ashley," he whispered. She didn't say anything else, she just helped him zip up his shirt. "Thanks," he whispered, but he thought she wasn't going to care that he was thankful that she was there. Clearing his throat, he sighed, "We got to keep moving," he whispered, and once again felt Ashley take his hand.

"Demios..." Ashley whispered. "why don't we try and contact the other rangers?" Demios stayed silent, not saying anything. "there is power in numbers right?" Demios once again didn't have an answer for her. "We won't be able to hold off anything the condition we are in,"

"Look...I will take you back to the ship, because I know your team can protect you," Demios whispered.

"No...I can't just leave you alone," Ashley objected. "I am not going to let you be by yourself. Demios..." Ashley started.

"No...there is no way I am going to be able to stay on the Mega Ship. No one trusts me as it is," Demios whispered. "And I am not going to be any more of a plague on Karone and Zhane's life than I already have been,"

"Isn't this cute?" Ecliptor asked. Demios immediately put Ashley behind him, in a protective manner. "You shouldn't have let yourself fall in love with her Demios. She has ruined you. There is no way to save you now," he said, bringing his sword out. Demios couldn't help but feel a little cocky. He had always bested Ecliptor in fencing.

Unsheathing his sword, he pushed Ashley back. "Ash...get out of here," Demios whispered, and Ashley shook her head. "Ashley get out of here," Demios yelled. Ashley stood her ground as she saw Demios starting to attack Ecliptor. She hit the panic button on her morpher, and it alerted the other rangers where she was.

"Lets Rocket," Ashley murmured. She saw that Demios' wounds were starting to affect him.

Ecliptor shouldn't have been this hard to take on. "Dark Specter powered me up...there is no way that you are going to beat me," Demios grunted in pain as Ecliptor kicked his bruised ribs. Ashley jumped on top of Ecliptor, and Demios looked at Ashley in shock. Ecliptor reached behind him and threw Ashley off of his shoulders. Demios growled and managed to slash Ecliptor with his sword. Ecliptor instantly retaliated with a slash of his own, and Ashley pushed Demios out of the way. She took the full brunt of the blow.

"Ashley!" Demios cried out. Ashley got demorphed and became unconscious. "You bastard!" Demios shouted, tears of anger in his eyes. Demios fought Ecliptor and momentarily subdued him. He ran back to Ashley and cradled her in his arms. "Ashley...wake up," he murmured softly. Ashley gasped and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Demios," she whispered.

"Shh...don't talk," he whispered. Ashley leaned into him, and he tightened his arms around her.

"I'm ok," she whispered to him, and he kissed her gently on the lips. "Are you ok?" she mumbled. Demios nodded his head, and brought her closer.

"Just rest," Demios whispered.

"Get away from her Demios," Cassie said, her Satellite Stunner out in hand. Ashley lifted her head from Demios' shoulder, and shook her head.

"Cass...we need to take him with us...he needs medical attention," Ashley whispered. Ashley gripped tighter to Demios' neck, and he bit back a grunt of pain. The tape wasn't holding his ribs very well.

"We should kill him where he stands," Karone whispered. Karone glared at Demios hatred gleaming in her eyes. Zhane didn't have any objections, and Ashley weakly got out of Demios' arms.

"No!" Ashley managed to shout. "No...please..." Ashley whispered. Ashley started to break down in tears.

"Ashley...this...this monster murdered the team before us," Carlos said to her. "We cannot allow him to come with us..."

"Ge saved me from Ecliptor...he saved us from Ecliptor," Ashley choked out. "Please..." she whispered.

"We can't let him..." Karone whispered, tears flowing from her eyes. No one could see them because of the mask, but Zhane knew she was crying. Zhane brought his crying girlfriend into his arms, and he looked at the rest of the team. Karone lightly started to smack his chest, when she felt that Zhane was going to be letting Demios on the ship. Karone fell asleep in Zhane's arms, and he lifted her up in his arms. Demios got up on his feet, and held Ashley up. Demios saw the other Rangers head back towards the Mega Ship.

"Ashley, stay awake," Demios murmured. Ashley nodded her head, and tried not to lean too heavily on him, in fear of hurting his ribs.

Soon DECA had teleported them back to the Mega Ship. Ashley and Demios had to go to the infirmary, and Alpha had already wrapped his ribs up. "Ashley...you need to get some rest," Alpha murmured.

"I want him to stay here," Ashley whispered, and Alpha sighed. He nodded his head, and left the room. "Demios..." Ashley murmured. Demios instantly went to her side, and she grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" Demios asked in shock.

"You just wanted to save me..." Ashley whispered, Demios laid down next to her and wrapped her in his arms. She cried into his shoulder and he made soothing shushing noises. "I love you," she murmured. Demios grinned and closed his eyes, as sleep enveloped them both.

Zhane walked into the room he and Karone shared, and saw that she was crying in her sleep. Zhane felt tears tugging at his eyes as well. He crawled into bed with her, and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Zhane?" she murmured softly.

"I'm right here," he whispered.

"Why is he here?" Karone whispered.

Zhane made a shushing noise, and rubbed her back. "Karone...do not think about him right now," Zhane whispered.

"How can I not think about that monster that is in our home?" she whispered. Zhane squeezed her again. "Zhane..."

"I don't want him to be here either... but we need to just focus on getting information out of him," Karone nodded sadly. "I love you Karone...and nothing is going to happen to you,"

"I love you Zhane," she said through her sleeping sobs. He shushed her and she fell asleep against him. Holding the woman he loves in his arms, he fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

_Karone woke up in a sweat, and Karone murmured, "Zhane..." she turned to him, and let out a scream. The bed was soiled with blood, and Zhane's lifeless eyes met her own. 'This is all Demios' fault,' a voice called out. 'He came in and killed Zhane...just like he killed your friends, and going to kill your new friends,' _

"_No!!!" Karone screamed, "Zhane!" she screamed, lightly touching Zhane's body. _

"Karone...wake up," Zhane whispered. He had woken up and felt Karone move around on the bed, moaning in fear. She started to yell Zhane's name, and Zhane picked her up, laying her on top of him. "Karone wake up," Zhane said a little louder. Karone woke up with a gasp, and she was sobbing heavily.

"Zhane," she choked out looking at Zhane's worried face. "I...I-," Karone stuttered shakily. Zhane ran his hands up and down his girlfriend's back.

"I'm right here Karone. I am right here," he murmured over and over again. Karone buried her head into Zhane's neck, and inhaled deeply. She clutched tightly on to Zhane, and Zhane kissed her on the forehead. "You're ok," he whispered. He hadn't seen her this worked up in a while. Whatever she saw in that nightmare scared her to the core.

"Zhane..." Karone whispered softly.

"Hm..." he murmured, wondering what she would say. Zhane ran his fingers through her hair, waiting for her to answer.

"I am scared..." she whispered hoarsely. "I am so scared that Demios will just come in here and finish us off..." Zhane cut off her scared rant by placing his lips lightly on top of hers.

"He won't be able to hurt us...I am not going to let him," Zhane whispered. Karone snuggled closely into Zhane, and he ran his hand lightly up and down her back once again. Karone was still clutching tightly on to Zhane, and he wished he could make her feel better. "He won't ever hurt us again," he promised to Karone. Karone finally managed to calm down, and she shifted upwards so she could rest her head in the crook of his neck. She loosened her tight grip around Zhane, and he kissed her lightly on her lips.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I always seem to make a huge fuss out of things," she whispered.

"No...Karone, you have every right to be scared," Zhane whispered. "But this asshole is not going to ruin what we have accomplished..."

"Thank you so much Zhane..." she whispered, "I love you...so much," she whispered. When she said that, it brought a huge smile to Zhane's face. He put his lips lovingly on top of hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you," Zhane murmured on her lips. "Are you doing ok?" he whispered back. Karone nodded her head, and he let his arm drape lazily over her shoulders. "You want to go get something to eat?" he questioned.

"No...can we just stay here for a little bit?" Karone asked in a hopeful voice. Zhane smiled and nodded his head. Karone smiled, and cuddled back into his body.

In the infirmary Ashley had woken up, and smiled seeing Demios holding her in his arms. She stayed comfortable in his embrace, until he grunted when he tried to bring her in closer. "Are you ok?" Ashley breathed, trying to pull away so he could get into a more comfortable position.

"Yeah...I'm ok," Demios murmured, keeping her where she was. His gaze went to where Ecliptor had struck her with his sword. There was a very light scar where her sternum was, and Demios frowned. Ashley's gaze turned questioning where she saw him staring. "I should have been able to stop him from doing that to you," he murmured, tearing his gaze away from Ashley. His face clouded with guilt, and felt Ashley's hand lightly touch his face.

"That wasn't your fault," Ashley whispered. "I pushed you out of the way remember?" she reminded him.

"Ash...you don't understand...I should have been able to save you..." Demios sighed, clearly frustrated. He was going to get Ecliptor for this.

"How are your ribs doing?" Ashley questioned, trying to get Demios' mind off of Ashley being hurt. Ashley let her hand rest on his chest, and Demios covered her hand with his own.

"I'll be fine," he murmured distractedly. Ashley ran her hand down to his wrist, and squeezed it. He squeezed back appreciatively, and he brushed his lips against her cheek. "You are sweet," he whispered, nestling his head into her neck. His ribs stopped hurting him, and he brought Ashley closer to him. Ashley leaned in closer to him, and rested her head in the crook of Demios' neck. As he continued to hold her, Cassie walked in glare set in place. Cassie managed to be polite and not say anything to Demios and turned her gaze to Ashley.

"How are you feeling?" Cassie questioned.

"I'm ok," Ashley said to her friend. "Just a little sore," she murmured. Cassie nodded her head, and sighed. Ashley could tell that Cassie wasn't at all comfortable with Demios being on the Mega Ship. She reluctantly pulled herself away from Demios and murmured, "I'll be right back," Demios nodded his head, and watched her go out of the infirmary with Cassie.

"Ashley...please don't get mad at me for saying this...but none of us trust or want Demios with us on th Mega Ship. Especially Zhane and Karone. You saw what he did to the other rangers..." Ashley winced recalling the memory, but shook her head. "I know you agree with me on that Ashley,"

"Cassie...I can't help how I feel," Ashley whispered. "He saved me from Ecliptor. That is not something an evil person would do...especially like what he did,"

"Ashley...listen to yourself," Cassie said, shaking Ashley's by the arms. "Demios is evil. He is a bad guy, someone you shouldn't fall for," Ashley sighed, and shook her head.

"Cass...you don't understand," Ashley whispered, walking back to the infirmary. Demios had fallen back asleep, and she crawled in bed next to him. Demios murmured something in his sleep and wrapped his arm around Ashley. Ashley sighed, and just relaxed in his arms.

Cassie sighed as Ashley walked back into the infirmary. She knew that Ashley would do this, but Cassie had hoped she would listen to reason. Cassie turned the opposite direction, and as she continued to walk she ran

into Carlos. "Cassie...you doing ok?" Carlos questioned, after seeing the look on her face.

"I am just worried about Ashley," Cassie sighed. "She wouldn't listen to me about Demios,"

"I'm sorry Cass," he whispered. He could tell that Cassie was just as uncomfortable as everyone else was about Demios being on the ship. Carlos wrapped his arms around Cassie, and felt Cassie lean into him. There was nothing else he could do or say. What were they going to do about Demios?


	16. Chapter 16

Zhane continued to hold Karone against him, wishing that he could just get Demios off the ship. Karone didn't need this...scratch that, none of the rangers needed him to be on the ship. Karone still was squeezing tightly on to him. Normally he would try to make a sarcastic comment to lighten up the mood, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Although he knew that just him being there like he always has was so important to Karone. He squeezed back lightly, and felt Karone shift in his arms, "Zhane..." she whispered. "Thank you," she whispered.

Zhane smiled lightly and squeezed her once again. Shifting her in his arms, he placed her onto his lap. "Karone...I think we need to go eat something," he whispered. She shook her head, and cuddled closer to him. "We need to keep our strength up..." he whispered. Zhane brushed his lips gently against her forehead. "Now c'mon," he murmured, making her stand up. "We can go to Earth and grab something..." he suggested, trying to alleviate any fears of running into Demios.

Karone just nodded her head, and they headed for the teleportation room. On the way there they ran into Cassie and Carlos. Carlos was holding Cassie, and Karone threw them a questioning glance. "You ok?" she managed to ask.

Cassie nodded her head and pulled away. Although, she brought her hands onto his and he squeezed them gently. "So what is going on?" Carlos questioned.

"We were thinking about getting something to eat on Earth," Zhane said to them. "Wanna come? I have no idea what is good on Earth," Carlos allowed a small smile to creep on his face.

"Sure..." he said. He took Cassie by the arm and led the way to the teleportation room. "Whatcha in the mood for?" he asked over his shoulder. Karone shrugged her shoulder, and Carlos frowned. It should have been obvious to him. They didn't want to run into Demios. "How about you Cassie? What are you in the mood for?" Carlos questioned. Zhane threw his friend a grateful look.

"Lets just go to IHOP," she said, and she smiled. And with that they teleported to Earth.

When Ashley walked back into the infirmary, Demios looked up. She immediately walked to the bedside, and he gave her a worried look. He heard the conversation between Ashley and Cassie and he stood up. "Where do you think you are going?" Ashley asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I am going to leave..." Demios whispered. He had no right to be selfish and stay with her.

"No..." Ashley immediately objected. She forced him back towards the bed, "Demios no, you need to lay down and rest,"

"So do you," Demios said. "Ashley...why do you care about me?" Demios whispered. "I mean...my ulterior motive at first was just to get information out of you," Demios said. "Your friends don't want me here, and I don't want you to get hurt...not because of me,"

Ashley wrapped her arms around Demios, and he instantly mirrored her movements. "I don't know why I feel the way I do about you...but I do. I love you...and it is not going to change," Ashley whispered. "You don't have anywhere to go...just stay here...please," Ashley murmured, resting her head into the crook of his neck. Demios squeezed her tightly, and sighed. He was going against his better judgment, but he nodded his head.

"Ok...I'll stay," he promised.

"You need to get some rest," Ashley said, making him lay down. She laid down next to him, and when she rested her head on his chest she felt something hard against her ear. It felt like an necklace of some sort. Demios opened up his shirt a little bit and pulled the locket he was wearing.

"I have had this as long as I can remember," Demios murmured, letting the chain have its full length, so Ashley could look at it. Something about it looked very familiar to Ashley, but she didn't say anything.

"It is really beautiful," Ashley whispered, lightly touching it. Demios looked at Ashley, and then at the necklace. He reached behind him, and unclasped the hook. He instead put it around Ashley's neck, "Demios...I can't take this..." she murmured.

"I want you to have this..." he whispered into her ear.

"Demios..." she started to murmur in protest.

"Please...Ash...just accept it," Demios pleaded, squeezing her lightly. Ashley nodded her head in defeat, and leaned in closer to him. Demios smiled, and brushed his lips against her own. "Thank you," he whispered gently. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered.

A couple of hours later the rangers returned to the Mega Ship and found Ashley in the kitchen. The first thing Karone noticed was the necklace around Ashley's neck. "Where did you get that?" Karone shot, roughly grabbing the necklace.

"Ow!" Ashley grunted, as the necklace yanked on her neck.

"Where!?" Karone shouted, digging under her own shirt to reveal her pendant. "Where the hell did you get this?"

"Demios had it!" Ashley shot, tears entering her eyes

"What?" Karone stammered.

"Demios gave it to me. He has had it ever since he could remember," Ashley said, jerking out of her grasp.

"THAT IS A LIE!" Karone shouted angrily. Karone opened up the locket and saw Andros' picture in it with her own.

"Karone," Zhane murmured, forcing the locket out of her hands. "Karone...honey, look at me," he said, taking her face in his hands. There was no way that...that monster could be her brother. Demios could not be Andros...could not be Karone's older brother.

"No...he it can't be him," Karone murmured, breaking down into sobs. Her sobs turned into angry ones, and she shoved Zhane out of the way. She stormed into the infirmary, and grabbed Demios by the collar. "Where the hell did you get that locket from?!" Karone shouted.

"What are you talking about?" Demios shot.

"You stole this locket from my brother! Where the hell is he?" Karone asked attempting to slap him hard across the face. Demios grabbed her wrist and pushed her away from him. Karone struggled against him, trying to slap him again. Zhane walked into the infirmary and grabbed Karone's arms, pulling her back. "He knows where Andros is!!" Karone growled.

"Karone..." Zhane started to murmur.

"No...he isn't my brother," Ashley walked in, hearing Karone shout. Demios stared at Karone slightly open mouthed. Did he hear her correctly?

"Let go of me Zhane!" Karone screamed, finally breaking his grip and storming off.

"Karone!" Zhane called out after her, following her. Zhane caught up with her, and enfolded her into a hug from the behind. Karone struggled against Zhane, but he didn't let go. "Karone," he murmured softly. "Calm down," he murmured into her ear.

"Zhane..." she rebutted.

"I got you..." he whispered, and Karone finally leaned into him. Zhane held her against him, keeping her in place. "Whatever happens...I am here for you," Zhane murmured.

"He can't be my brother..." Karone whispered. Zhane made some hushing noises, and squeezed her tightly.

"Sh...I'm right here...right here," Zhane whispered, trying to hold her together before she broke down.


	17. Chapter 17

_Thanks Rah for helping me with the convo...anyways enjoy :D_

Karone felt her sobs of anger subside, but she still clutched onto Zhane tightly. Zhane didn't mind; he just held Karone against him. "He just..can't," Karone whispered.

"Karone..." Zhane whispered. "I got you," he murmured, and Karone fell fully into him. "Just relax," he whispered, pulling one arm under her legs. He cradled her in his arms fully, and headed towards their room. Karone wrapped her arms around Zhane's neck, and felt herself drifting off to sleep. Zhane nearly let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Karone was once again fast asleep. Zhane telekinetically opened up the door, and laid her down on the bed. Karone didn't let go of Zhane's neck. He chuckled softly, and laid down next to her. She instantly settled herself next to him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

Running his hand up and down her back, he thought about how Karone acted. Zhane just saw a fraction of how Karone will probably break down. He needed to stay strong for her. As he lay there, he thought was Demios really Andros? Was that murderer really his friend, and Karone's brother? Not letting anymore thoughts cloud his mind, he closed his eyes. Instead he thought of Karone, and brought her closer. Zhane heard Karone whimper, and he once again rubbed her arm, and whispered, "I am right here," Karone relaxed once again, and Zhane brushed her lips against her forehead. He once again kissed her, and she stopped squeezing him so tight. He felt himself fighting sleep, and he brought her closer before falling asleep himself.

Demios looked over towards Ashley. Since she walked in, she had not said anything, and he suddenly had the feeling that he was going to be alone once again. Before turning to him, she opened up the locket. "Demios..." Ashley whispered, walking over to him. "Who are these kids?" she asked, sitting down next to him. Demios gingerly took the open locket, and ran his finger over the picture.

"Well...thats me," Demios murmured, pointing to the little boy smiling. He tried to remember many times who the little girl was, but he could never recall who the girl was. Demios scrunched his face up, trying his hardest to remember who she was once again.

Ashley leaned into him, and brushed her lips across his cheek. "Its ok if you don't remember who she is..." Ashley whispered. She lightly bumped his arm, and he smiled wrapping his arm around her.

"Ash..." he murmured, and she leaned her head into his neck. "I love you..." he whispered.

"I love you too," Ashley murmured, squeezing him gently. Demios brushed her lips against Ashley's, and felt Demios bring his hand to her hair. "Demios..." she murmured. Demios pulled away, concern entering his face. "How are your ribs doing?" she questioned.

"They are ok..." he lied, and Ashley shook her head.

"C'mon, lemme change them," she whispered, helping him out of his shirt. Ashley slowly unwrapped his ribs, and then lightly gasped when she finally noticed scars on his body. Demios felt himself blush as Ashley stared at his scars. Ashley lightly ran her fingers over his scars, and he shivered. "Where did you get these?"

"I don't want to talk about it..." Demios murmured. Ashley nodded her head in understanding, and went to wrap up his ribs once again. "Do you..you really want to know?" Demios asked, wincing lightly as his ribs were bandaged up once again. Ashley looked at Demios.

"Only if you want to," Ashley murmured, sitting down next to him. Demios looked at her and let out a breath. Could he really face his past? Ashley gave him a small smile to show she would wait until he was ready.

"I...I've done a lot of horrible things," he began.

"Not just what I did to the other rangers," he said before she could interject.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Theirs weren't the first lives I've taken," he admitted. Ashley swallowed nervously.

"I don't remember much from when I was young. Faint memories really," he sighed.

"I was sent to a school. They said my parents sent me there because they didn't want me," he murmured.

"That's awful. Why wouldn't you're parents want you?" Ashley interrupted.

"It was so long ago I don't really know," he answered.

"I don't know how many kids there were. By the time I left, most of them were gone. The things they did to us..." he trailed off. He shouldn't be getting emotional right now. His mind kept telling him that emotions were weakness.

"The first test we had...was the last time we saw our parents. We had to kill them in front of everyone else. To prove we were stronger than them," he said. Ashley inched away from him.

"You...you," Ashley started to stammer.

"I refused...and they took them somewhere..." Demios sighed, tears almost to the point of them spouting out of his eyes. "And I got sent back...where they tried to whip me back into shape,"

"That's...where the scars came from?" she whispered.

"One or two," he answered.

"That was just the beginning, the lesser punishment," he spat.

"I took my first life when I was ten. I didn't mean to do it. We were fencing and my blade slit his throat. Haunted me for months. But they told me I'd done well. Praised me for it. And I started to believe that it was ok," he continued.

"If you showed weakness, any emotion they beat you," he added, pointing to a couple of scars on his upper arms.

"Those were electrical burns. It felt like I was being ripped apart. But I never cried again...ever," he said.

"How could you possibly survive all of this?" she breathed.

"We're taught to rely on only ourselves. If we want something, we have to take it by any means necessary," he said. "Was it just boys there?" she murmured. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"There were some girls but most of them didn't make it. We had to make them obedient," he said, his eyes lighting up in spite of himself. He was a sexual creature after all.

"You...you didn't," she begged.

"I did..only one was tough enough to survive afterwards. She was my equal in everything, Celestra. She never let the fact that I took her innocence from her stop her from trying to beat me. I think it made her fight harder," he admitted. Should he tell Ashley about the harem on Onyx?

"What happened to her?" Ashley probed.

"We cross pathes every now and again. She's conquered a couple galaxies," he answered.

"So...you're friends?" Ashley asked.

"No. More like competitors. She never could resist a duel. Unfortunately it always ends in a draw. Dueling each other so much at school...we can anticipate each other's movements. There's really nothing entertaining about it anymore.

"Have you...conquered galaxies?" she mumbled. All of this was information overload. It was bad enough he'd been beaten and tortured as a child. But this...she could see it in his eyes that he enjoyed causing harm.

"Of course. What kind of monarch would I be if I didn't?" he asked as if it should be obvious. He immediately regret his words.

"I...I'm sorry. I...I'm just so used to...control...and power," he said.

"It's ok. But...you're going to stop right?" she said more than asked.

"I'll try," he said.

"I...I took control of planets years ago...I don't know what they'd do without my oversight. And then there's my enterprise on Onxy," he said, hoping she wouldn't ask about Onxy.

"What do you mean?" she pressed.

"I have...maybe I should just show you?" he suggested. He pulled a small device from his pants pocket and flipped a switch. A holographic image of his latest visit to the harem appeared. Ashley had to turn her head away. Ashley stood up, and paced. "Ash..."

"I'm ok," she shot at him testily.

"I want to apologize for all of this...but...saying I'm sorry won't stop me from feeling excited by it. It won't stop me from wanting to to do these things. It's all I've known," he said, trying to reach out to her but she moved away.

"You can start by letting them all go," she said sharply.

"They wouldn't know what to do, where to go," he began to protest.

"You can't just keep them locked up like this!" she shouted at him. He would have winced but he was used to people screaming at him.

"I want to care about their well-being, I really do. And I'm trying to be good, but it's hard," he shot back at her.

"Tell me you'd never do those things to me. Tell me you'd never do it," she said, leaning in close. He looked into her eyes and saw the confusion and fear hidden within them.

He wanted to tell her he'd never do any of these things to her. He desperately wanted to tell her that but he knew deep down he couldn't promise that.

"I...I swear I'd never hurt you like that," he lied. He wanted to keep her trust. She let out a breath and moved closer.

"What about the others," she stated.

"They have every right not to trust me," he began but she shook her head.

"That's not what I meant," she said.

"I know the answer you want me to give but..right now I don't think I can give it," he said truthfully. She stood and walked away, leaving him alone. She needed time to think, the let this all sink in.

A few hours later, Karone had woken up and disentangled herself from Zhane's arms. She needed to know if the person responsible for the death of her friends was really her brother. She wandered towards the infirmary when she saw Ashley walking away from it. Karone could see the chain around the other girl's neck. As carefully as she could, she managed to get it off of Ashley's neck without her noticing. Karone plucked the locket from the air and took a breath before opening it.

She saw the picture of her and Andros smiling and felt tears flowing from her eyes. Plucking out her own locket, Karone saw it was the same. Demios was really Andros. Zhane must have woken up when she had crawled out of bed, and Karone leaned into him. "Zhane...Demios...he is my brother..." Karone said sadly. Zhane held her in his arms, not saying anything. "I just wish...wish..."

"I know honey," Zhane murmured. Karone pulled away, and headed towards the infirmary where Demios was. Zhane followed her in and saw that Demios was awake still. Demios turned his head towards Karone and Zhane. He sighed when he saw that it was Karone and Zhane. Karone walked closer to him, and sighed.

"Do...you remember anything?" Karone questioned.

Demios shook his head, and Karone sighed. "I was looking for you so long," Karone whispered, "and you were right here in front of me all along..." Karone sighed, and Demios had no idea what to say. "I'm sorry.." Karone whispered.

"For what?" he asked slightly surprised.

"I was so little...and I couldn't save you," Demios lightly touched her hand with his own, and he gave her a small smile.

"Its not your fault," Demios promised. Gently tugging Karone away from Demios, Zhane squeezed her arms. Zhane still didn't trust Demios, even though Karone confirmed that it was Andros.

"We can try and talk later..." Karone whispered and her brother nodded his head.

"Ok..." Andros whispered, giving her a small smile. Karone and Zhane left the infirmary, and Karone sighed.

"Karone...we shouldn't be trusting him so early," Zhane whispered. "We don't know if he is just trying to earn your trust, so he could just back stab us later,"

"I know...I just want my brother back," Karone breathed, once again feeling tears brimming in her eyes. Zhane brought her close, as they walked towards their room. "I love you..." he whispered.

"Love you too," Karone whispered.

A couple hours had passed and Ashley still hadn't come back. Demios...he needed to stop referring to himself as Demios. Andros was the name he was born with. He closed his eyes, and wished that he could change for Ashley. After seeing that look on her face, he knew that Ashley probably wasn't coming back. "Demios..." Andros turned his head towards the voice, and saw that Ashley had walked in.

"Ashley," he murmured. Ashley made a shushing noise, and walked over to him.

"I honestly believe you want to change...and I am going to help you," Ashley whispered.

"Ashley..." he tried to start again.

"But if you are going to stay here, and try to be good...you are going to have to let those girls on Onyx go," Ashley said sternly. Andros nodded, his head, "I mean it...they all get to go free," He couldn't help but feel disappointed, but nodded his head once again.

"I'll try," he promised. "Ashley...I am so sorry,"

Ashley sighed. "I know..." Ashley sighed, "I know that...but it was a lot of information to process," Andros nodded his head, and she put a hand on his shoulder. "But I am glad that you told me," she whispered softly. She sat down next to him.

"I really am sorry," he whispered. "I wish I could change faster for you..." he murmured. Ashley wrapped her arms around him, and he sighed. Andros' eyes drooped and he fell asleep. Ashley looked at Andros and sighed. Even though he had used her...she still loved him, and she knew he felt the same way...it was just hard. Hopefully, Ashley thought, maybe cutting off all the evil he had made, he would slowly heal. She brushed her lips across his forehead and fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning, Andros lay awake, staring at his surroundings. He'd woken up to the thought of releasing his harem. He knew it would be hard for him to do. It wasn't that he cared for the girls, it was more the thought of them seeing him as weak. He'd sworn their bondage would last until death and here he was breaking his own terms. He felt Ashley move in his arms and looked at her. He had to do this for her. He had to prove that he could be the person she wanted him to be. Her eyes slowly opened and she gave him a groggy smile.

"Hey," she yawned.

"Morning," he said softly.

"You look like you've been up for a while," she commented, sitting up and stretching.

"Just thinking," he muttered.

"About?" she probed.

"Onyx," he said. She nodded.

"You're letting them go today," she said more than asked.

"Yes..but can we do it without your friends knowing. I just think it would be too much for Karone," he answered.

"Are you going to tell her...about your past?" Ashley asked.

"No. She doesn't need to know. You know...for the longest time I forgot I even had a sister," he admitted.

"That's who the little girl was," Ashley murmured. Andros nodded.

"Emotion like kindness and love were beaten out of me...and so was her memory," he sighed, pushing himself to his feet. His ribs still hurt but he had no choice but to get up and move around.

"Do you want something to eat first?" Ashley asked.

"No. I'll be fine," he answered, walking towards the doorway.

"Are you sure? You need to keep your strength up," she commented.

"I said, I'm fine," he snapped, some of that old hatred sneaking into his voice. She shrunk back a little but just nodded.

"Ok..." she whispered and followed him out of the infirmary. As they walked down towards the ship bay, Andros let out a small sigh.

"Ash...I'm sorry," Andros murmured. "Old habits die hard," he said weakly.

"Its ok," Ashley whispered, resting her hand on top of his own. "I was just a little worried about you," Andros let a smile creep onto his face, and he squeezed her hand lightly.

"I'll be fine," he whispered, as Ashley input the code to open the doors to the hanger. "They aren't going to find out we left are they?" he questioned as they walked onto one of the small carrier ships.

"Nope...we will be fine. Karone and Zhane are sleeping, and I left a note at Cassie's and my parents saying I was at her house. We will be fine," Ashley promised. "Andros..." she whispered, and he turned to her. "I really appreciate that you are doing this," she whispered.

He just nodded as they boarded a small ship. He let out a sigh as he input the coordinates for Onyx. The ship took off and they were hurtled into space. After a few minutes of silence, Andros looked over at Ashley.

"I want you to stay on the ship," he said.

"Why?" she replied.

"Onyx isn't a very safe place...for anyone," he answered.

"No. I'm going with you," she retorted.

"Ashley, I'm trying to protect you. You don't know what kind of filth roams around on this place. I'll go down, let the girls go and come back," he countered.

"I can take care of myself," she argued. Andros closed his eyes to try and calm down. It wouldn't do him any good to get her angry with him.

"Fine...but if things turn south, you get on the ship," he said. She nodded her head as they approached Onyx.

Andros landed the ship on the outskirts of the small town. He climbed out and offered Ashley his hand. She looked around at the barren and desert-like conditions.

"It's this way," he said, motioning for her to follow and stay close. They reached the large doors and he stopped. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"You can do this," she said. He nodded and unlocked the doors. What faced them when they walked in frightened Ashley. Dried blood stained the floor in many places and girls were dressed in barely enough fabric to cover themselves. They huddled in small groups around the room. Andros didn't say a word as he crossed the threshold. His presence was enough to make them all look up. Whispers flew through the room at the sight of Ashley.

A tall woman, a few years older than Ashley, slowly approached them.

"My Prince," she said, giving him a bow.

"Everyone get up," he commanded. Feet skittered on the slick floor to follow his command.

"What is troubling you," the woman asked, snaking her arm around his neck. She gave Ashley a disapproving look. Andros looked at the lanky woman wrapped around him. He wanted to say this was all against his better judgment. He wanted to set them free and then find them again.

"You are all free to go," he said, the tiniest tinge of emotion evident in his tone. The woman dragged Andros away from Ashley.

"What is going on? Letting them go? Have you gone mad?" she scoffed.

"I gave your freedom. If you don't want it then stay here for all I care," he hissed.

The girls around the room started to inch towards the door and when the first few made it out without being harmed, the rest began to swarm. Ashley stepped out of the way just in time. She watched the flood of girls until only a few were left.

"You can go," Ashley said to them.

"Our bondage is until death," they answered.

"I gave your freedom. Take it," Andros spat, making them jump.

"You will regret this," the tall woman said as she ushered the remaining girls towards the door.

"You are replaceable," he called after her. Andros immediately regretted saying those words, but Ashley understood why he said that. Ashley walked back over towards Andros, and wrapped her arms around him. Andros reached up with his hand, and squeezed her hand gently. "I didn't.."

"I know," Ashley assured him. "Its ok," Andros nodded his head, and once again squeezed her hand.

"C'mon," he murmured, lightly leading her towards the ship. He kept her close, making sure that no one assumed that she was alone and tried to do something to her. Ashley had no objections to that, she just wanted to leave this planet. Focusing on breathing, he finally got to the ship.

"You doing ok?" she asked him. Andros nodded his head, and she leaned into him. Andros smiled, and wrapped his arm lightly over her shoulders.

"Thanks Ashley," he murmured as Ashley set the coordinates for the Mega Ship. Ashley smiled and once again squeezed his hand, not wanting to put too much pressure on his ribs. "I'm ok," he assured her, noticing her reluctance to lean into him.

"I know I am seem selfish right now...with all these requests..." Andros shook his head, and squeezed her gently once again.

"Ashley...you aren't being selfish," Andros murmured, "if it were anyone else besides you, I would have been kicked to the curb," he reassured her.

They fell silent as the ship moved through space. Before they could get back to the Mega Ship, the Dark Fortress appeared and opened fire.

"Damn it!" Andros swore, flipping a couple switches to return fire.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked as the ship rocked back and forth.

"I'm going to tear him apart," he ground out as the Dark Fortress chased them back towards Onxy. Ashley's heart raced as he made an emergency landing.

"Stay here. I don't want arguments," he said and headed for the hatch.

"Wait..." she called but he didn't listen. She unbuckled her seatbelt and followed. Ashley managed to sneak off the ship just before the hatch closed. Sand and dust swirled around her as she spotted Andros and Ecliptor.

"You're weak," Ecliptor laughed.

"No. You're the one that's weak. This time, you won't be walking away," Andros spat, his sword materializing in his hand.

"We shall see," the creature grunted. Their swords clashed and the commotion drew a few onlookers from the nearby saloon. Ashley ducked behind a pile of rocks and watched as the two fought. Andros took a couple shaky steps backwards but recovered in time to block Ecliptor's advance.

"Say goodbye, you traitorous piece of shit," Andros boomed and let his blade fly, sending Ecliptor's head flying into the crowd. Decapitating the creature didn't seem to satisfy his need for harm. So, with measured, even strokes he dissected the creature until it was a pile of broken parts on the ground. He sheethed his weapon and turned away.

He made no attempt to address the crowd as he walked back towards the ship. Ashley sprinted for the door, trying to get aboard before he saw her but he caught her just as she slipped inside.

"I told you to stay onboard," he said.

"No one saw me," she protested. He just shook his head and took control of the vessel. As they made their second attempt to reunite with the Mega Ship, Ashley noticed a calm had come over Andros. A small smile crept onto his lips as they docked.

"Come on, let's get something to eat," he said, seeming more like the person Ashley knew he could become if he tried.


	19. Chapter 19

_Thanks for the help on this and the previous chapters...my writing was not up to par for the past couple days. So thank you so much rah!! anyways enjoy the chapter!_

As they ate some food, Andros noticed how quiet Ashley seemed. "You ok?" he asked her. Ashley just nodded her head, and took a sip of water. Andros knew something was bothering her, and he made a movement to place his hand over hers, but she shrank away from him. "Ash..."

"Sorry," she murmured, and Andros knew it was about Ecliptor.

"Ashley...I told you yo stay outside..." Andros murmured. "I didn't want you to see that," he whispered.

"It's ok...I just...afterwards...you changed. You looked calm," she whispered.

"I did?" he asked. She nodded her head and he put his fork down.

"I...I didn't even realize...I mean I felt better afterwards," he began.

"I guess it just never occurred to me that..I was different," he muttered. He closed his eyes and thought about it for a minute. He'd felt so calm after he'd killed the other rangers that he didn't kill for a couple of weeks. A light went off in his mind and he let out a small sigh. Killing was a way to get his anger out.

"I...I was angry with them...they should have just accepted what I gave them and left without question. I guess I needed to take out my anger on something..." he trailed off.

"So you took it out on Ecliptor," she finished.

"Yes," he said with a nod.

"But Ecliptor was the enemy, you were saving lives," she tried to reason with him.

"I destroyed him because he turned on me," Andros said. He stood up and started to walk away. Ashley followed him but he stopped and held up his hand.

"Andros..." she began.

"No," he interrupted.

"Please let me finish. I know it's going to take time to heal but you're making progress. And don't keep things bottled up. We have a holodeck. You can take your frustrations out on fabricated creatures," she suggested.

"I'll think about it," he said and continued walking. Ashley walked back to the table and cleaned up.

Sometime later, she ran into Cassie. Ashley knew that Cassie, like the ohers, was wary of Andros' presence on the ship.

"Hey," Ashley said.

"Hi," Cassie replied.

"Can we talk?" Ashley asked and Cassie nodded in agreement. They headed for Ashley's room and they sat down.

"I know you don't trust Andros...but you don't know what he's been through," Ashley stated. Cassie folded her arms in front of her chest waiting for an explanation. He..was taken to this school," she began. She wasn't sure if she could portray the sheer torture he felt but she was going to try.

"So you're saying he was taught to be a monster?" Cassie shot.

"He didn't want to become what he was. He was just a little kid. They beat him...and the other kids too. He killed another boy when he was 10 by accident," Ashley countered defensively.

"So he's been a killer since he was a kid. I could have figured that out on my own," Cassie muttered.

"If they cried, or showed any emotion they were beaten. He has electrical burns on his arms because he cried. He's got scars from all kinds of beatings," Ashley said, trying to keep her anger under control.

"They tortured him into becoming what he was," Ashley breathed.

"What he still is, Ash," Cassie said.

"They made him do all kinds of horrible things. He only did them because he didn't want to get hurt," Ashley sighed.

"You really believe he didn't want to hurt people?" Cassie asked. Ashley shrugged.

"He let his harem go free today. It's progress," she offered.

"He had a harem? Like slave girls offering themselves to him for sex?" Cassie gasped.

"Yes...some of them didn't want to go but he made them. They made him sort of angry and..." Ashley trailed off.

"Did he?" Cassie asked.

"No. He didn't hurt me. He took it out on Ecliptor...he destroyed him. And then Andros was really peaceful," Ashley explained.

"Ash...that isn't healthy," Cassie told her.

"I am helping him through this Cassie," Ashley said in a determined voice. "And I am sure once Karone learns to forgive Andros for what he has done, she will more than willingly help me,"

Neither girls had heard Karone walk up to the door. It was partially open and their voices carried out into the corridor. Karone had heard every word. She tried to keep quiet as she backed away from the door. Why hadn't Ashley told her about had happened to Andros? Why would she tell Cassie first? Fighting back tears, Karone went in search of Andros. She checked the infirmary but found it empty. She wandered to the kitchen and the bridge but still nothing. Finally, she walked by the holodeck and noticed it was active. She pressed the code to open the door and stuck her head inside.

Within, Andros was fighting viciously with a human-looking creature. Andros gave it a devious grin before taking it's head off. It fell to the floor and the creature disappeared. Letting out a sigh, he ran his blade over his pants. It wasn't as satisfying as a real kill, but it made his urge to kill completely dissipate; at least for a while. Turning towards the door, he stopped when he saw Karone. He wasn't sure how to talk with her, especially since he saw unshed tears in her eyes.

He turned off the simulation, and walked over to her. "Umm..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Karone asked. Andros looked confused. "How could you tell Ashley first about what happened to you, and not tell me?"

"What? I told her not to tell you," he muttered.

"But why? I'm your sister," she shot.

"You had to suffer enough with what I became. I didn't want to terrorize you more with how it happened," he finally said.

"Did they really bring Mom and Dad there?" she whispered. He nodded.

"I don't know what happened to them. I wish I did," he said, taking a step or two closer to her. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you for not hurting them," she breathed. He lightly wrapped his arms around her and patted her back gently.

"Karone..." he said. She looked up at him.

"I want to change...but...I don't know if I can...not completely. These wants...desires, they're part of me. I think they always have been," he began, stepping back from her.

"Andros don't say that," Karone whispered.

"Karone...I don't want to add being a liar on top of the other things I have done. I don't know if I can honestly say that I can change..." Andros said, taking another step back. Karone rolled her eyes, and stepped closer to him. "Karone..."

Karone sighed, and wrapped her arms around him once again. "Not with that attitude your not," Karone squeezed her brother tightly, and Andros once again just lightly patted her back.

"I think I know now why I spared you," he breathed. Her brow furrowed for a minute. Then it dawned on her...the other rangers.

"Why?" she managed to get out.

"Somewhere, deep down I knew who you were...and I couldn't destroy you. I'd be destroying the last sliver of good inside me and then...there'd be no turning back," he answered.

"I promise, I'm going to help you," she said, giving him a smile.

"Thank you. I don't think your friends are going to be as willing or accepting," he muttered.

"You need to tell them...they need to know how it happened," she said.

"I think we need to worry about what Dark Specter's next move is going to be. With me batting for the other side now, he's going to send in his next best fighter...and she's not someone to be taken lightly," he said. Karone led him off the holodeck and onto the bridge. The rest of the team had congregated there.

"Andros thinks he knows what Dark Specter's next move is going to be," she said, getting their attention.

"Of course he does. He probably helped plan it," Carlos grumbled. Ashley glared at him and smacked his arm. "Ash," he said, rubbing his arm. Ashley didn't say anything, she just went to Andros.

"So...what do you think he is planning?" Ashley asked lightly touching his hand.

"If he's made the move I suspect he has, then your fight is far from over," he sighed. Ashley raised an eyebrow at him.

"You think..." she began and he seemed to have read her mind.

"Yes. Celestra has taken over and she won't stop until she proves she's better than I am," he answered.

"Who is Celestra?" TJ asked.

"Former school mate of mine. We have...a history," Andros answered.

"I think it would be best if I confront her alone. There is no reason to give her the chnce to claim ranger lives," he explained.

"Oh so when you're not the one getting the credit you want to protect us?" Zhane spat.

"I really don't care if you hate me. Go right ahead and do it. But I would think the fact that I am trying to save your lives would mean something," Andros shot back.

"How do we know that you aren't just going to stab us in the back? After all, you are evil," Zhane growled back. Karone walked away from Andros and grabbed Zhane's arm, restraining him. "Karone..." he murmured.

"Zhane, he is just trying to prove to us that he is good," Karone whispered.

"Karone...we can't just expect him to be good instantly," Zhane tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't have any of it.

"Zhane...he is my brother," Karone murmured. With those words, he felt like he had been stabbed. Karone was siding with Demios instead of being loyal to him.

"You want to fight her?" Andros interjected, looking at Zhane. Electricity shot between them.

"Then you better learn to use a sword," he finished.

"Why?" Zhane asked.

"Because if you don't, she'll slice you in half in less time than it would take you to summon your own weapon," Andros replied coolly.

"Bickering isn't going to get us anywhere," Ashley said stepping in between Zhane and Andros. Andros finally unclenched his fist, and stepped away from Zhane.

"Whatever," Zhane shot at the yellow ranger. Karone tried to grab onto Zhane's arm, but he shook it off. "You can just elect him leader, if you aren't even going to consider what I am saying," he shot, before storming off the bridge.

"Zhane!" Karone called out, but he was already too far away for him to hear her.

The other rangers looked at Andros and at the spot Zhane had just occupied. TJ just shook his head and turned back to the console in front of him.

"Next time, why don't you try something positive," Carlos muttered.

"I'm not interested in positive. I look at it like it is. He goes up against her unprepared and he doesn't stand a chance. None of you do," Andros said dryly.

"And what do you suggest we do then?" TJ asked, his tone the least abrasive.

"I could train you," he said.

"Training from the psycho that tried to kill us. That's nice," Carlos spat.

"Then don't take my offer. It's not on me if you end up dead," Andros spat and stormed off too.


	20. Chapter 20

Zhane sighed, and angrily ran a hand through his hair. He didn't understand why Karone instantly why she wouldn't side with him. Zhane went towards his and Karone's room, and sat down on their bed. He felt tears entering his eyes, and he rubbed them away. Grabbing a pillow, and a sheet he headed to the couch on the other side on the room. He may be angry with Karone, but he isn't going to kick her out of the bed. He had way too much to think about right now; he just needed to sleep. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

A couple hours later, the door opened up, and Karone walked in. She saw Zhane on the couch sleeping, and she let out a long even sigh. Karone sat down on the floor, and saw that even while he was asleep that she had really hurt him. "Zhane...I'm sorry..." Karone whispered. She ran a hand through his hair, and he woke up not expecting her there. "Sorry," Karone murmured, standing up. Zhane grabbed her wrist and sat up on the couch, before pulling her onto his lap. "Zhane..." she murmured, "I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings..." Karone started to wipe at his eyes, and he grasped her hands in his own. Zhane made a shushing noise, and kissed her gently on the lips.

"I know...its ok...shh..." Zhane whispered, rubbing her back.

"Zhane...I wish you would have just trusted me..." she murmured. Zhane pulled away from her, a little stung by her comment.

"Karone...you weren't even going to try and even think about my point," Zhane murmured in a hurt voice. "I thought you would be on my side about this..."

"You don't even know what he went through..." Karone said, pulling away, and standing up. Zhane sighed, and rubbed his face tiredly with his hands. "They tried to make him kill our parents, but he refused!" Karone started to yell. Zhane got off the couch, and enfolded her in his arms once again. Karone didn't fight his embrace; she just leaned in closer to him. "And it is just so hard...I am trying to look at it from your point..." Karone murmured sadly.

Zhane once again made a shushing noise, and rubbed her back. "It is ok Karone... I know that you are excited about finally finding Andros..." Zhane whispered lightly.

"I know...but I don't want to hurt you again," Karone whispered. "No matter what, I don't want that to happen again..." she cried, squeezing him tightly. Zhane instantly felt bad that he had snapped at her; she was just trying to make everyone happy.

"I'm sorry Karone..." Zhane whispered. "I'll try not to bash Andros so much," Zhane promised, kissing her forehead. "I love you Karone...I just wanted to protect you...I know how bad you wanted him back...and I couldn't stand that if you got hurt..." Zhane said closing his eyes, not wanting to imagine that happening. Karone nodded her head, and sighed, just letting Zhane hold her in his arms. He brought her fully into his arms, and headed towards their bed. He laid her down on the bed. He pulled back the sheets, and settled Karone into the bed.

He started to get up for the couch, but Karone put a hand on his arm, "Where are you going?" Karone asked sleepily.

"I thought..." he started, and she pulled him to the bed. She telekinetically grabbed the pillow on the couch, and put it towards Zhane. "Are you sure-,"

Karone nodded her head, "I love you Zhane..." she murmured, and Zhane smiled, wrapping her up in his arms.

"Love you too," Zhane breathed, glad that he and Karone were ok now. Karone snuggled closer into him, and Zhane kissed her on the lips. "Get some rest...you had a tough day," Karone nodded her head, and clutched at his arm.

"You get some rest too..." she whispered, resting her head next to his. Karone fell asleep, and Zhane stayed awake a little longer before falling asleep. He wanted to be sure he and Karone were going to be ok. He hated that they had been like this...he just hoped that he could keep his promise of being nicer to his girlfriend's brother. He fell asleep, making a vow to make sure he kept his promise.

Ashley sighed; she had decided to leave Andros alone until he had calmed down enough to talk. She knew that he was angry still, but knew that he would come around when he was ready. Ashley was in the mess hall, holding a steaming mug of hot cocoa in her hands. After a couple minutes of silence, there was a knock on the wood frame behind her. She turned around and saw Andros behind her. He had a couple bags in his arms and Ashley put down the mug. She practically ran towards him helping him with one of the bags. "What is all of this?" Andros gave her a light smirk.

"Can't tell?" he asked, taking out one of the containers. Ashley smiled, seeing it was one of her Chinese restaurants.

"Thanks Andros," she whispered giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "So...what is this for?" she questioned. Andros shrugged his shoulders, and led her to the table.

"Just because," Andros murmured. He had wanted to apologize to her for exploding, but he couldn't find the way to apologize to her like he wanted. Ashley took another look at his face, and then found realization dawning on her own face.

"It's ok Andros..." Ashley assured him, and he smiled. "It is the thought that counts for the apologies..." Andros wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

"Thanks...for understanding," he murmured. Ashley grinned, and kissed him back on his lips. Ashley could feel his reluctance to talk, and she just had him sit down.

"We don't have to talk about anything," she assured him, opening up some of the containers of the food. Andros smiled, glad that Ashley was here. A very small part of him wished that he could get along with the rest of the team. He knew that would make Ashley happy. He was glad that Ashley told Karone what happened to him as a child. She was in the process of forgiving him, and he was really happy. "Are you ok?" he heard Ashley whisper.

"Yeah...I am better than ok," Andros promised. "I just wanted to thank you...for everything," Andros admitted. Ashley grinned at him, and put a forkful of food in his mouth.

"The others will come around..." Ashley murmured, and Andros sighed.

"I am just glad that you and Karone have forgiven me," Andros whispered. Ashley squeezed his arms.

"Just give them some time and patience," Ashley whispered. A part of him really wanted to believe Ashley, but he couldn't believe that any one of her teammates would ever forgive him. Breaking his thoughts, Ashley sidled closer to him, and he smiled lightly. "Andros?"

"Hm?" he asked, rubbing her arm.

"You can't stay in the infirmary forever...I want you to stay in here..." Andros shook his head, not wanting to impose on Ashley. "Really it is ok," Ashley assured him. "I sleep on Earth most of the time anyways," she assured him. Andros frowned at that thought; he guessed he thought that Ashley would be there most of the time. He forgot about Ashley going to school, "What's wrong?" she asked, nuzzling her head into his chest.

"Nothing," he murmured. Ashley just stared at him, "Its stupid," it was a sign of weakness and Andros wanted to hide it.

"Whatever it is...it won't be stupid to me," Ashley breathed, and Andros allowed a small smile to creep on his face.

"It just that...I had the stupid thought that you would be up here...most of the time," Andros murmured, a little embarrassed. Ashley smiled, and hugged him.

"Well...I'll come over after school for a while," she promised.

Far from the Mega Ship, a smaller vessel idled in space. From nowhere, the large, imposing form of Dark Specter appeared. He looked down at the ship and called out a single name.

"Celestra!"

A young woman appeared, dressed in leather, a sword latched to her hip. Her dark brown hair was pulled out of her face and a thin layer of sweat glistened on her bare arms.

"Yes, Dark Specter?" she replied.

"You have been given a new assignment," the creature boomed. Her eyes lit up.

"I knew he was too weak to really finish what he started," she sneered. Dark Specter nodded.

"You are to finish the task. Do not fail me," he boomed and disappeared. She let out a little sound of excitement. She would finally have her chance to prove she was better than him. She would take back all that he took from her. She turned and walked back on the ship. A robot greeted her.

"Is something wrong?" it asked.

"No. We've got a new mission. Start scanning for the Mega Ship. This will be easy," she answered with a smirk. Prior to Dark Specter's appearance, she'd been sparring with a couple of her guards. One was sneaking up behind her but failed to surprise her. Her blade slid through his torso effortlessly. She did not even turn around, just leaving to lie on the floor. She gave a statisfied smile, one that could have as easily been found on Demios' lips.

Celestra pulled her hair down and sat down in the throne-like chair in the center of the control room. Guards and robots moved around her, doing their best to keep the ship running up to her specifications. A short time later, the commanding robot bowed to her and spoke.

"We have found the Mega Ship. What are your orders," he informed her.

"Open fire, but only enough to get them rattled.. Set sheilds to full power in case they try to return fire," she said.

"It's time to introduce ourselves," she snickered.


	21. Chapter 21

The Mega Ship lurched as the shots hit it, and Karone and Zhane were thrown out of bed. Zhane instantly helped Karone to her feet. "DECA turn up the shields!" Zhane shouted, bringing Karone close. "Come on," Zhane murmured, leading her towards the bridge.

"DECA, what the hell is going on?" Karone asked, seeing Andros and Ashley come in as well.

"Unidentifiable ship is attacking us," DECA's cool voice came through.

"Put the ship on screen!" Andros shouted at Zhane.

Zhane glared at Andros but hit a couple of buttons. The ship appeared on the screen in front of them. Andros let out a sigh as he recognized it.

"Brace yourselves," he said and hit another button, sending return fire. The ships exchanged a couple more shots before the space between them fell silent. Andros looked at DECA and then at the rest of the team.

"Open communications," he ordered.

"What do you-" Zhane began but was cut off by the image on the screen. There before them sat Celestra. Karone shivered as she saw how similar she appeared to her brother.

"Well, if it isn't the little traitor himself," she said coldly.

"How've you been, Celestra? Conquer any planets lately?" Andros replied, unphased by her comment.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she laughed.

"Am I supposed to be surprised to see you?" he asked.

"Because I'm not. I can read him like a book," he added, some of his old tone resurfacing. She gave a harsh laugh and stood up, walking closer to the screen on her ship.

"I have waited a long time for this," she whispered.

"You know, you were always a sore loser," he shot.

"You think you're still stronger than me? Better than me?" she spat. He nodded his head.

"At least I'm not weak...falling in love. How disgusting," she snarled.

"Now whose the one getting all upset," he taunted. He could see the hatred in her eyes. He couldn't help but smile a little at it. Getting a rise out of her had always been enjoyable.

Knowing that one way that would get into Andros, Celestra glared at Ashley. "So you are the puny little human that got Demios to change his ways. I'll have to thank you for that...maybe I'll spare you, and send you to the school," Celestra taunted. Andros felt all the anger that he was feeling kept in check, just came falling down. Celestra could see that she finally hit a nerve, and she smiled wickedly. "I think I changed my mind now...I'll just shoot you down," she nodded at one of the monsters on the ship, and they prepared to shoot down the Mega Ship. Zhane cut off the connection, and throttled the Mega Ship, trying to get out of the range of the sensors of Celestra's ship. The ship shook violently and Ashley fell to the ground.

"Ashley!" Andros yelled as her wrist hit one of the counsels. Karone peeled herself from Zhane, so he could focus on trying to maneuver the ship away from Celstra. Andros put a tight grip on the counsels, and then pulled Ashley to him. "Ashley...are you ok?" he murmured. She nodded weakly and felt Andros tighten his arm around her. Karone shot back at Celestra's ship in retaliation, but it had no effect. The ship shook violently again, and the weapons system crashed. Finally getting out of the way, they ditched Celestra. Andros lifted his girlfriend into his arms, and headed towards the infirmary.

"Andros..." Ashley murmured with a wince, "I'm ok,"

"I think that your wrist is sprained," Andros whispered, ignoring what Ashley said. He wanted to go kill Celestra. She hurt Ashley,and there was no way he was going to let her get away with that.

"Andros...it is just a tiny sprain," Ashley decided to agree. "I'm ok," she whispered.

"Ash...she let us go. She has no problem coming to hunt us down; she will think it is a game," Andros growled. Using her good arm, she rubbed Andros' back. "Ashley..." he whispered as he entered the infirmary. Alpha went towards Ashley as Andros set her down. Andros sat down next to her, and kissed her cheek, and felt her grasp his hand with her own. "I am not going to let her hurt you," Andros promised. "Any of you," he amended. Ashley rested her head on his shoulder, and sighed.

Meanwhile Zhane was trying to get Karone to let go of her grip on the counsels. He placed his hand on her wrists and rubbed them with gentle soothing motions. Karone finally let go of the counsel, but he continued to rub her wrists. "You're ok," he murmured, bringing her fingers to his lips.

"Zhane..." she whispered, and he brought her closer. "I'm ok," she whispered.

Back on her ship, Celestra sat down, somewhat content that she'd managed to rattle the almighty Demios. She knew it wasn't going to be that easy to take him down. After all, he was still the same fighter he'd been years ago. She tapped her chin with her index finger for a minute. She had no doubt she could find them again. But then again, she knew Andros would be ready.

"What are your commands?" one of the robots asked.

"I'm going to bring him to his knees," she murmured, a sadistic grin on her lips.

"But what-" the robot tried again but she lashed out, her sword slicing him in two.

"We'll let them think they're safe...for now. I want you find their ship but do not alert them to our presence," she called to several henchmen.

Andros paced back and forth in the infirmary, trying to anticipate Celestra's next move. Ashley watched him and finally let out a sigh.

"Was she...serious?" Ashley asked.

"About?" he muttered.

"Sending me to the school," she gulped.

"Only if she plans on resurrecting it. There was no one left after us," Andros answered. Ashley couldn't hide the shiver that ran up her spine. Andros noticed, and stopped pacing to sit down next to her. "She was only saying that...she does not have the power to bring it back up," Andros assured her, and he rubbed her arms. Still seeing the fear playing out in Ashley's eyes, he pulled her into him. Karone and Zhane walked into the room, and saw Andros comforting Ashley.

"You ok?" Karone asked. Ashley looked up and nodded.

"Yeah...just a little...scared," Ashley answered.

"So...if you're supposed to know everything about this bitch, what happens next?" Zhane asked. Andros let out a sigh and cleared his throat.

"She's not going to give up. I wouldn't put it past her to track us but stay just out of range of our sensors," he began. He also knew that she wouldn't have any qualms about boarding the ship and forcing them to surrender.

"Is that all?" Karone murmured.

"No. I expect she'll try and board the ship. Take us prisoner," he answered.

"How do you know?" Ashley asked.

"Honestly...because it's what I would do in a situation like this," Andros sighed.

"Of course you would. How do we know you're not really working with her?" Zhane shot. Both Ashley and Karone let out groans. Bickering wasn't going to solve anything.

"You think I'd actually work with her? Since I was eleven all I've wanted is to watch her die. And believe me, she wishes the same fate upon me. We don't work together...ever," Andros shot back.

"I knew you couldn't really be on our side. All you care about is killing," Zhane spat. Andros was trying to control his temper, for Ashley and Karone's sakes but he was finding it increasingly difficult. He took another breath but couldn't stop himself. He'd drawn his sword and slammed Zhane against the nearby wall in a matter of seconds.

"Don't tempt me," he hissed, his blade dangerously close to Zhane's throat.

"Andros stop it!" Ashley shouted, but he didn't listen.

"Andros!" Karone cried, and that seemed to have shocked Andros out of it. He lowered his sword, and Karone pushed him away to get to Zhane. She put a hand lightly where the tip of the blade was at, and saw that it had lightly pierced his skin. "Zhane..." she murmured, reaching behind her to grab a gauze to stop the bleeding. She placed it on his neck before turning to glare at her older brother.

Ashley reached over and tried to take the sword out of Andros' hand but found it was almost stuck to him like glue.

"Put it away," she whispered. Andros was breathing heavily, watching the small trickle of blood get caught up in the fibers of the gauze. He'd felt it again, the overwhelming urge to harm another being. He had sincerely hoped it would have disappeared. He tried to hide the desire in his eyes as he looked over at Ashley. With a wave of his wrist, the sword had disappeared.

Zhane swallowed a few times until the blood stopped flowing. He hadn't expected Andros to lash out like that but then again, it wasn't entirely unexpected. He knew he had to just walk away. Nothing he said was going to eliminate the distrust between them.

"Come on," he said softly and took Karone by the hand. Without another word the pair left the room. Andros turned his back on Ashley, hoping his eyes wouldn't betray his feelings.

"Andros," she said, trying to reason with him.

"No...I need to be alone," he said.

"Please...talk to me," Ashley begged. He shook his head.

"I can't. I need...I need to think," he sighed and finally faced her.

"If I'm going to stop her, I'm going to need to do it alone. You can't help...none of you. If I take her out then you'll be safe," he said. By his tone she knew exactly what he meant by 'take out'.

"You don't have to do everything on your own. Working together is what friends do," she said.

"I...I'm not there yet," he mumbled.

Ashley sighed, but could slightly understand his feelings. "Andros...once you trust yourself, the others will be able to trust you," Ashley murmured to him.

"Ash, I can't," he said to her. "Look...she is going to be just as powerful, if not more. She is beyond angry with me, she will use anything to have me suffer before she tries to kill me. Ashley...please, just go to Earth...bring Karone and Zhane with you," he pleaded.

"But..you said you know how she fights. You can beat her right?" Ashley pressed.

"Yes...but...I don't want you to see it...any of you. When I'm near her...I can't control my temper. I sort of forget anything else exists she and I," he said. Ashley cringed. She'd seen his temper...or at least she thought she had and it wasn't pretty.

"Just go," he begged and started to lead her towards the bridge.

"I'll go...but don't expect Karone and Zhane to be so willing to go," Ashley murmured. "Please be careful...I don't know what I'd do..."

Andros hushed her, letting a small smile to show on his face, "I will...I promise," he whispered. "Now...go," he murmured. Karone and Zhane heard this and Karone shook her head.

"No," she said simply. "You almost slit Zhane's throat, why should I trust you anymore?" Karone groused. "I am not trusting you with our home," Andros walked towards her, and Zhane stepped in front of her protectively.

"You guys...just need to get out of here," Andros said.

"Maybe you should leave," Zhane shot at him, effectively blocking Karone away from him.

"You should have listened..." Celestra's voice appearead out of nowhere, and Andros turned around. "Hello Demios..." she said, a dangerously evil glint in her eyes.


	22. Chapter 22

"Get out of here," Andros called over his shoulders, and he summoned his sword. Celestra cackled, and just shook her head at Andros.

"Demios...what happened to that cold hearted bastard who took my virginity?" She shot, twirling her sword around. "And you always told me I was weak," she spat, making a killing strike. Andros barely dodged it, and retaliated with another strike from his sword. "Gotten slow with age?" she taunted.

"Just as much of a motormouth I see..." Andros growled, trying to keep his anger in check, seeing that Ashley, Karone, and Zhane were there still. "Get out of here you guys!" Zhane tried to drag Karone out of there, but Karone refused to leave. Ashley reached for her morpher, and Celestra waved her hand at her, and sent Ashley flying. Growling, Andros felt his anger spike up and their swords clashed once again.

Zhane felt Karone stiffen next to him as monsters filled into the bridge. "Zhane..." she whimpered. Ashley felt herself being pulled up to her feet, and that made Andros fight back harder. Zhane started to fight off the monsters, trying to get Karone a way out. Throwing off Andros, Celestra snapped her fingers at the creatures restraining the rangers. They tightened their grips on the rangers, and Zhane growled.

"Karone!" Zhane shouted, as they dragged her further away from him.

"Wow...not only has this little tramp," Celestra said, gesturing to Ashley, "changed you, but little Miss Blonde over here has changed you as well..." Celestra said, dodging another strike from Andros. "Well I know how I can finally break you down...just like you had me do..." Celestra said, kicking and hitting his sword out of his hands. "I think I will kill pretty little yellow ranger...and maybe the rest of the team that you have seemed to leech to..." she said in a thoughtful voice.

While Celestra was distracted, Andros back-flipped and reclaimed his sword. "You still haven't learned how to shut up," Andros said, slashing upwards managed to graze his opponent's arm. Celestra grunted and then summoned a lightening bolt. Andros managed to deflect it and it headed towards Karone. Zhane threw off the creatures and pushed Andros away took the bolt full on.

"ZHANE!" Karone screamed, and Andros turned around. Zhane was on the ground, not moving. Celestra teleported the monsters and herself back to her ship. Karone crawled over to Zhane, and whimpered, "Zhane..."Zhane didn't move or respond to Karone's voice. Andros bent down to Zhane, and checked his pulse.

"He will be ok..." Andros promised. "We just need to get him to the infirmary..." Andros whispered. Karone refused to let go of Zhane's body, and Andros glanced at Ashley. "Karone...let go of Zhane...I am going to help him, ok?" Andros looked at Karone's tear stained face, and the reluctance in her eyes. "Please...just trust me..." he pleaded with Karone, a touch of desperation in his voice.

Karone let go of Zhane, and Andros scooped him up in his arms. He headed towards the infirmary, and laid the red ranger down on a bed. Alpha was doing some technical stuff in the engine room, so Andros had to do all this medical stuff by himself. Karone and Ashley were instantly in the infirmary right behind them. Karone shakily helped Andros start Zhane on an IV. Andros saw that Zhane was finally stabilizing, but before he could tell that to Karone, she had thrown her arms around Andros. "Andros...is he ok? Please tell me he is ok..." Karone sobbed into his shoulder. Andros pulled Karone close to him, and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Karone...I promise...he will be ok," Andros said to sobbing purple ranger. He was surprised to see Karone believing him so easily, but was glad that she was starting to sob less. "Ashley..." Andros whispered to her, "can you go contact the others?" Andros questioned. Ashley nodded, and headed out of the infirmary. Andros held Karone in his arms for a little while longer, before she pulled away.

"Thank you Andros..." Karone blubbered. Andros rubbed his little sister's eyes, and smoothed out the hair from her face.

"He will be ok...just give him a couple days," Andros promised. Karone nodded, and sat on Zhane's bedside, and gripped his hand tightly.

"Zhane...I'm right here," Karone breathed, rubbing his hand. "I promise I am not going to leave your bediside," Karone whispered, laying her head lightly on his chest. Andros sat down next to his sister, and rubbed her back. "Thanks Andros...you saved him," Karone whispered. After a couple minutes, Andros felt Karone stiffen next to him.

"You want me to leave you with Zhane alone?" Andros whispered.

"If you don't mind..." Karone whispered hoarsely.

"Of course not..." Andros whispered. "I will be on the bridge with Ashley and the others if you need me," Karone just nodded her head, and Andros headed towards the bridge. The others had arrived and they had been trying to re-do the security on the ship.

"Are you guys ok?" TJ asked Ashley and Andros. "Karone and Zhane?" Andros was in shock that the other rangers seemed to care that he was ok.

"Zhane is in the infirmary..." Andros stated. "Karone is in there with him,"

"What the hell happened?" Carlos asked in a concerned voice.

"Celestra attacked us and boarded the ship," Ashley whispered. "Andros managed to hold her off..."

"Not well enough..." Andros said, guilt playing out lightly on his features. "If I was a little faster, Zhane wouldn't have gotten hurt...protecting me and Karone," Andros felt anger hitting his features once again. "She will be coming back...she is no where close to being done with us..."

Karone was still leaning on Zhane. "Please wake up soon..." Karone breathed, "you said you wouldn't leave me..." Karone continued to stroke his hand, wishing that he would just tighten his hand once. Just once...just to get the feeling that he knew that she was there. It had been a few hours since Andros and Ashley had left the infirmary. Cassie, TJ, and Carlos went towards the infirmary, and each ranger enfolded Karone into a hug.

"How are you holding up?" Cassie asked her friend.

"I just...just want Zhane to wake up..." Karone whispered.

"He will soon," Carlos said supportively.

"If you need anything...we are all here for you..." TJ said, leading everyone out of the infirmary once again. Karone laid next to Zhane and felt herself dosing off, squeezing onto him tightly.


	23. Chapter 23

It had been days since Celestra had attacked, and Andros had been on the simulater fighting Celestra. Training so for when she did come and try and kill the team, he could get her first. The simulation ended and Andros let out a deep breath. He knew that he should go check on Karone and Zhane, but he just wanted to kill Celestra. Why didn't he kill her while he had the chance years ago? "Andros?" Andros turned around and saw Carlos walking in. This was a major surprise for Andros; he knew that Carlos had some sort of vendetta against him. Andros just nodded her head, and waited for Carlos to say what he wanted to say. "Look...I have not been welcoming...at all..." Carlos started. Andros once again hid his shock, and nodded. "And I want to apologize for being an asshole..."

All Andros could say was, "Thanks..."

"I was hoping that we could start over...be friends?" Carlos asked, offering his hand to shake with Andros'. Andros decided to take the offer, and shook his hand.

"Thanks...that really means a lot," Andros said to him.

"Is that offer still up for grabs?" Carlos asked after a moment.

It took a minute for Andros to realize what Carlos was asking. "Sure..." Andros said, "it would probably be good if all the team tried to train a little more," Carlos nodded his head, and Andros allowed a small smile to come on his face. "Well, I am going to go check on Karone...Ashley and Cassie are trying to comfort her," Andros said, grabbing a towel. He wiped his face and body with it, before going towards the infirmary.

Karone was still right next to Zhane, pretty much how Andros left her the previous day. Karone turned her head up towards Andros. "Andros..." Karone whimpered, and he sat down next to Karone.

"Hey sis.." he murmured running a hand softly down her back. "No change at all?" Karone shook her head, and turned her head to his chest. Zhane was still unconscious, and Karone was devastated. "Karone...remember, I promised that Zhane was going to be back to normal. I mean it...he will be better soon," Karone nodded her head, and felt Ashley, Carlos, and Cassie all surrounding her. TJ walked in with a thing of flowers, and put them next to Zhane's bedside.

Andros squeezed his little sister against him. "Thanks you guys..." she whispered, feeling tears flowing down her face.

TJ cleared his throat and everyone turned to him. "We all know about the extra morpher...and we have been thinking about it...and Andros...we want you to join the team..." Andros shook his head in shock.

"I can't accept that...not after what I have done..." Andros murmured. Ashley kissed his cheek, and put her other hand on his own.

"Andros...you are more than proving yourself as a better person...we would love it if you joined us," Ashley whispered.

"Are you sure?" Andros asked softly. Karone looked up at Andros, hoping he would take their offer. "Thanks..." Andros said, and TJ smiled. TJ offered the silver morpher, and Andros took it in his hand. Ashley let go of Andros' hand long enough, so he could strap the morpher onto his wrist. Alarms started to blare throughout the ship.

"What's going on DECA?" TJ asked.

"Celestra sent down a monster to attack Angel Grove..." DECA replied.

"We better go down..." TJ said to the team, and they all started to head up towards the teleportation room, except Karone. Andros was still holding onto her, and he gently tugged her hand.

"I am not going to leave Zhane..." Karone whispered.

"Karone..." Andros murmured.

"No...no," Karone whispered, tugging her hand away from him.

"We'll be right back...ok?" Andros said, walking up to her and kissing her lightly on the forehead. Karone nodded her head, and Andros jogged to catch up with the rest of the team. Karone went back down next to Zhane.

"Zhane..." Karone whispered. Still no response, Karone thought sadly. "I love you," she whispered, taking his hand in her own. Tears spilled onto his hand, and Karone felt Zhane lightly squeeze her hand in return. Karone thought that Zhane had woken up and turned her eyes back up to his face. Zhane squeezed her hand again, and Karone leaned into him. "I love you," Karone whispered, laying her head on his chest. "Wake up soon..." Karone whispered, giving him a kiss on the lips.

Down on Earth the Rangers had assembled, and Andros felt weird. He was used to his own battle suit, and this silver thing surrounding him, felt awkward. Ashley gave a grin to Andros, although he couldn't see it. Once again, she focused on the creature in front of them. Summoning up his blade, Andros looked down at the creature in front of them. It wouldn't even be worth the battle. "About time you tweens showed up," the serpent like creature said. "I was thinking that I would be here all by myself...while the others did what they do best,"

"What are you talking about?" Andros questioned, shaking his head at this bumbling idiot of a monster.

"You probably shouldn't have left little sister alone..." the monster hissed, and disappeared in a red glow. Andros felt all the blood drain from his face.

"We got to get back to the Mega Ship," Andros said in a hoarse voice.

Karone sighed and felt the room drop in temperature. "What is going on?" she asked to herself. Karone frowned, and pulled another blanket over Zhane. Karone walked towards one of the consuls in the infirmary and turned around sensing another presence behind her.

"Hello Karone..." the creature hissed. Karone held back a gag as the creature approached her. "Celestra was right not to worry so much about Demios. He has become weaker..."

"No he hasn't," Karone stated.

"Well that doesn't matter..." the serpent said, slithering over towards Karone and Zhane. Karone instantly morphed, and stepped in front of Zhane. It cackled, "Well is little girlfriend going to protect Zhane? Go ahead and try..." it said, it's eyes glowing and Karone felt the ground shake beneath her.

Andros and the other rangers felt the illusion that the sinister creature was creating for Karone. Karone was fighting off the illusion and felt for her sword. Karone slashed at the monster, and by the time Andros and the others arrived Karone was fighting the monster. Andros growled, as it threw off Karone and sent her tumbling into Ashley. Summoning a lightening bolt in his hands, he shot it at the creature completely decimating it. They demorphed and Andros bent down to Karone and Ashley. He helped up Ashley and Karone at the same time. "Are you ok?" he asked in a soft voice. Ashley squeezed Andros' hand appreciatively, letting him know that she was ok.

Karone nodded and went towards Zhane, and found that he was ok still. Karone laid a hand on Zhane's cheek, rubbing it gently. Karone put her lips softly on top of his, and Zhane's eyes slowly opened up. Karone didn't notice, but the others did, and stealthily inched out of the infirmary. She started to pull away, and Zhane murmured, "Hey..." Karone looked at him in shock, and Zhane lightly reached out with his hand and touched her cheek.

"Zhane..." she whispered, and saw that he was weak still and lowered herself. Tears were flowing freely from her face, and Zhane started to wipe them away.

"Hey...what's wrong?" Zhane asked hoarsely, not used to using his voice.

"You have been out of it for days...I was so scared..." Karone whispered, embracing him tightly. Zhane squeezed back lightly, and felt Karone's tears.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I have heard everything you've said..." he said, "I love you too," he said when he realized that it wasn't going to work. Karone sighed and just snuggled into him.

"Don't ever scare me like that ever again..." Karone breathed, and Zhane squeezed her weakly. Karone noticed and kissed him lightly on the lips. "You need to rest," Karone said, and Zhane nodded his head. Zhane tugged on Karone's hand having her lay down next to him.

"I love you...thanks for taking care of me," he whispered, closing his eyes and tried to bring Karone closer. Karone cuddled into Zhane and held on as tightly as he allowed her.

"Love you too," Karone murmured, and Zhane fell asleep. She felt tired; she hadn't slept in days. Karone fell asleep, glad that Zhane was awake for a couple minutes...


	24. Chapter 24

Rah...thank you so much for the help; and I hope y'all like the chapter :)

Karone had broken sleep; she had been worried about Zhane. Zhane opened up his eyes, and saw that Karone was awake. Karone squeezed Zhane tightly, and he kissed her lightly on the lips. "Hey...babe...what's the matter?" Zhane asked. Karone stayed silent, and she felt his hands rubbing arms. "Karone..." Zhane murmured.

"It's nothing..." Karone whispered.

"Is this...is this about..." Zhane started to murmur, "is it about me being unconscious for those couple days?" Zhane asked guiltily.

"Maybe..." Karone said to him, "I am just scared of what could have happened to you..." Zhane wished he knew how to make her feel better; he hated to see her so depressed.

"I did it to protect you and...Andros..." Karone grinned at her boyfriend. "And I would do it again to save you..." Zhane whispered softly, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Zhane..." she breathed, starting to wipe his eyes. "I love you..."

"Love you too," Zhane whispered. His stomach started to rumble, and Karone laughed lightly.

"Hungry?" Karone asked, and Zhane nodded with a pout. "You stay here..." Karone said, getting out of bed, "and I'll get us something to eat," Karone whispered. Zhane gave her a pout, "Zhane...you got to rest..." Opening his mouth to object, she hushed him, "Please Zhane..." she said with a puppy-eyed look.

"Ok," he murmured, and then smirked. "Hurry up...I'm hungry," he said in a joking tone.

"Alright...I'll hurry," she said playing along with him. Karone flashed Zhane a grin, and walked out of the infirmary. Zhane settled himself on the bed, and sighed. Before he could really do any deep thinking; Andros walked into the room. Zhane was surprised to see Andros there. Clearly, Andros was not sure how to react.

"Hey..." Zhane said.

"Hi..." Andros said, clearly uncomfortable. Instead of thanking Zhane for saving him and Karone, he decided to thank Zhane for saving his sister. "I wanted to thank you for saving Karone..."

Zhane afforded a small smile to come onto his face, "It wasn't just Karone I was saving..." he said to the former prince of darkness. "Trust is a part of being on a team..." Zhane breathed. "And all you have done is best for our team...and for Karone..." Zhane whispered.

Andros nodded his head, feeling surprised. "You don't have to..."

"You were in my thoughts when I saved you and Karone from Celestra..." Zhane assured him, and it was true now that he thought about it.

"Thanks..." Andros said, "I really mean it," he said to Zhane. Zhane nodded his head, and his grin grew bigger when Karone walked into the room. Karone looked surprised to see her older brother in the room. "Hey Karone..." he said lightly.

"Hey Andros..." Karone said in a surprised voice. She was ladling two hot plates of food in her hands; Andros took one of them. "Thanks," Karone said, and she walked over towards Zhane. She noticed that Andros and Zhane seemed to be on talking terms. "What happened here?" Karone asked, sitting down next to Zhane.

"I was just thanking Zhane...for saving us..." Andros said a little embarrassed. Karone gave her older brother a smile, and Andros couldn't help but grin back at her. "Well...I better go.." Andros said to the couple.

"You can stay and hang out with us if you want..." Zhane offered.

"I'll leave you two alone," Andros said. "I am going to meet Ashley for some breakfast," he said with a grin on his face. "But...thanks," he said with a grateful smile. "Here you go Karone," he said handing the plate of food to his little sister. Andros walked out of the room, and Karone handed Zhane a plate.

"Have fun!" Karone called out as she settled herself next to Zhane.

"Thanks sweetie..." Zhane whispered, and felt her sidle next to him. "Karone...you know how much I love you don't you?" he asked, and Karone grinned and nodded her head.

"Of course Zhane...I love you too," she whispered. "Are you ok?" Karone asked, "You are scaring me a little,"

"Yeah...I'm fine...Karone..." Zhane assured her, rubbing her arms gently. "I'm sorry that I scared you," he apologized, and Karone felt him tighten his arms around her.

"It is ok..." Karone told him, kissing his forehead.

Meanwhile down on Earth Andros and Ashley were at a small restaurant. "Something bugging you Andros?" Ashley asked after a moment.

"No, I'm fine..." Andros said to her.

"Are you sure nothing is bothering you?" Ashley asked. Andros sighed; maybe he was worried that he was going to train someone on the team way too hard...to the point of death to some people. Ashley put her hand on top of his own. "Andros...talk to me..." Ashley murmured.

"Not here..." Andros said, finally breaking down.

"Ok...we can go get our food to go..." Ashley said, giving him a small smile.

"Ash...I'm sorry," he apologized. He could plainly see the confusion playing out on her face, "I just wish that I could take you on a date...without having something like this come up," he murmured.

"Andros..." Ashley whispered. "I don't care about dates...or anything like that..." she said to him. "Even if it is just hanging out like we did...before I found out who you were...I am just happy to be with you..." Andros felt his face break out with a grin, and felt her come closer.

"Thanks Ashley..." he whispered, "That means a lot..." he murmured, putting a sweet kiss on her lips. "I love you," he mumbled against her lips.

"I love you too," Ashley said, with a smile shining on her face. Pulling away slightly, she called out towards their waiter. "Hey excuse me...can you put our orders in a take out box?"

"Sure..." he said, and Ashley felt Andros drape his arms over her. The waiter pulled two boxes to the table, and Andros threw down the amount of cash to pay for the meals and they walked out of the door.

"So...what was bothering you?" Ashley asked as they walked arm in arm in the park.

"Some of the others..." Andros started, "they have been wanting me to train them...and I really don't know if I will be able to...control...my...my anger if it gets in the way.." Ashley tightened her arm around him, and felt Andros squeeze back appreciatively.

"Andros...it is ok..you know...it is ok for you to feel that way...and I will be here to help you...I will always be there for you..." Ashley whispered softly in his ear.

"Thanks..." he said to his girlfriend, squeezing her tightly. "How about we go back to the Mega Ship?" for some odd reason he felt safer when he was up in space.

"Ok," Ashley said to him, and they went to a deserted place in the park, and teleported to the Mega Ship. "You want to go see Karone and Zhane?"

"Yeah..." he murmured distractedly. They headed towards the infirmary, and found that Karone and Zhane weren't there. "I wonder where they are..." he said aloud, and Ashley sighed.

"DECA where are Karone and Zhane at?"

"Zhane and Karone are on the holo-deck," the computer answered. Andros and Ashley headed in that direction, running into Carlos and TJ.

"Hey," they greeted.

"Where are you two headed?" Carlos asked.

"Holo-deck," Ashley replied.

"For some training," she added.

By the time they had reached the holo-deck, Cassie had joined them. Andros hit the code to open the doors and they found Karone and Zhane laying at their simulated spot on KO-35. Andros immediately took a couple steps back when the pair looked up.

"Sorry. We didn't mean to interrupt," he aplogized.

"It's ok. Come in," Karone said, waving her brother and the other rangers into the space. The hologram disappeared almost instantly.

"What's going on?" Zhane asked.

"Andros is going to train us," TJ answered. He sounded excited about the prospect. Zhane just raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend's sibling.

"I'm up for it," Zhane said and stood up. He wasn't entirely recovered but he could still hold his own. Andros took a deep breath and walked a few paces away from the rest of the group. He hti a couple of buttons on the control panel and the room changed. Five swords lay on the ground in front of each ranger. Andros' weapon sat comfortably in its sheeth at his hip.

"Ready?" he asked. They all looked at him and nodded. Each picked up a sword and began swinging it around.

"The first thing you need to know about the art of swordfighting is that in order for a blade to be effective, it must be perfectly balanced," he began.

He drew his own weapon and held it out in front of him, placing his right index finger at the center of the blade. He pulled his other hand away and it balanced on his finger tip.

"He going to twirl it like a baton?" Carlos snickered in Cassie's ear. He thought no one had heard him until Andros bladde went spiraling through the air and nearly took of his hand.

"Say something, Carlos?" Andros asked sharply.

"Uh...no," Carlos answered, shaking his head. Andros narrowed his eyes at the young man before him.

"Sarcasm would have gotten you killed," Andros growled. "Or worse..."

"What's worse than death?" TJ asked nervously.

"Beaten and then killed," Andros answered. TJ and Carlos shared a look and kept their mouths shut.

"Now...you're going to use all of your sesnes if you're going to fight well," Andros said. Without warning he took a lunge at Tj. He managed to block the advance but just barely.

"Your opponent isn't going to let you get ready before striking," he continued, his blade swinging in Cassie's direction. She let out a small squeal and jumped back Andros took a step back and surveyed them before taking a strike at Zhane and he went tumbling to the ground.

"And they most certainly won't think anything of attacking while you're down," he added, landing nimbly on his feet. Karone jumped to her own feet, and Andros was about to lecture her, but stopped when he saw her face.

"Andros...that is enough..." Karone snapped at him.

"And we were taught not to care if someone we cared about was in danger..." Andros said to Karone, but he lost all of his edge and anger from his voice.

"I am not going to do that. We do not need to do that.." Karone snapped at him.

"You want to survive against Celestra, you're going to have to detach a little," he said.

"We get that it's going to be tough. No need to get grumpy," Zhane huffed, struggling to his feet.

"I'm just trying to prepare you for what she's going to deliver. If you can hold your own against me, then you can take her on," Andros explained. They spent the next half hour going over basic technique. Andros felt comfortable with the blade sliding through his fingers. It felt natural to him.

"Was I too hard on them?" Andros asked when it was only he and Ashley left.

"No...you were ok. I just think they were a little unsure of what to expect," Ashley answered. Andros just nodded. Ashley slowly placed a hand on his arm.

"Are you...feeling...ok?" she said slowly.

"You mean, do I feel like I want to kill someone?" he replied and she nodded. Andros reached a hand up to one of hers, and squeezed it gently. For a moment it was there, but he managed to smother it without having to go on the simulator.

"It will be ok," she said, squeezing his hand back. "It will be ok," she repeated, leaning in closer to him. Andros let go of her hand so he could wrap his arms around her shoulders.

Andros couldn't even to begin to form words for how grateful he was for Ashley being there. She got his silent message, and squeezed back just as tightly as he was. "Thanks Ashley..." he whispered in her ear softly.

Ashley grinned and kissed his cheek, "You're welcome," she murmured.

Zhane and Karone were heading towards their room, and Karone was starting to get worried about Zhane. "You doing ok?" she questioned, giving his arm a squeeze.

"I'm fine Karone..." he lied, barely holding back a wince. He felt terrible, and he knew that Karone didn't believe him.

"Zhane..." she murmured. "Why are you lying to me?" she asked, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Zhane frowned, and Karone couldn't help but let him off the hook about it. "I didn't want you to worry..." Zhane murmured, as they entered their room. Karone led Zhane to their bed, and had him lie down.

"Zhane...I shouldn't have let you train..." Karone said guiltily.

"Karone," Zhane said, cupping her face in his hands. "It wasn't your fault...it wasn't your fault at all babe," he whispered lovingly. "It was my own stupid fault...ok?" Karone nodded her head, and he pulled her to him. "Now stop blaming yourself," he commanded softly.

"Ok..." Karone said, kissing him softly on the lips. "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too," he murmured back. They both lied down on their bed, and before they knew it they were both fell asleep peacefully.


	25. Chapter 25

A couple days later, Andros woke up early. He looked at the clock and sat up. Ashley was still asleep in the bed next to him. He knew they had to train harder than they had been. He climbed out of bed and headed for the bridge.

"DECA, please wake everyone up and tell them to assemble in the holo-deck in fifteen minutes," he said.

"Affirmative" the computer replied. Then its voice announced throughout the ship.

"Rangers. It is time to wake up. You are to report to the holo-deck in fifteen minutes," it relayed. Andros took a deep breath and headed for the room.

Andros reached the holo-deck and set it up for the session. While he waited for the rest of the team, he did a couple sets of sit up and push ups to wake himself up. By the time he finished he had six very grumpy looking rangers.

"Morning," he said.

"You know it's like five in the morning," Carlos grumbled.

"No better time for training," he replied.

"I thought we trained yesterday," TJ added. Andros took a deep breath to control himself.

"You're not going to reach the level you need to be just training once a day," he said as evenly as he could.

"This isn't boot camp," Cassie yawned.

"Yes, Cassie. It is," Andros shot back.

"We have school today...so maybe we can just do a little bit now and the more afterwards?" Ashley offered, trying to keep the peace. She didn't need Andros getting angry this early.

"Fine," the rest of the team mumbled. In the blink of an eye, Andros had swords summoned and was making advances on them, as if he could do it in his sleep. After about an hour of training, Andros felt they had enough and let them go. Karone was a little worried about Zhane; he was looking a little pale.

She pulled Zhane away from the group, and whispered, "Zhane... are you ok?" Karone questioned, an he nodded with a smile.

"Of course..." Zhane lied, and Karone felt that he was lying to her.

"Zhane...honey," Karone whispered, "I am going to talk to Andros and make sure that you don't train until you get better," Karone said, heading towards Andros.

"Karone..." Zhane protested, gently grabbing her arm. "I'm fine..." he tried to assure her, but she wasn't at all convinced. "Karone..." Feeling her starting to pull away, he pulled her to him. "I am really ok..." he said again, but she wasn't going to have any of it.

Ashley looked towards the bickering couple, and sighed. "Maybe we should..." Ashley whispered.

"No...Ash..." Andros murmured back, "Let them be...besides you need to get to school," Ashley frowned at that note, and Andros brought her into his arms. He kissed her on the lips, and gave her a small smile. "School will be over before you know it..."

"I wish you were there still..." Ashley murmured, and Andros brought her hand up to his lips.

"I know..." Andros whispered. "How about I come over at lunch?" Ashley's face broke out into a grin, and she kissed him on the lips once again. Andros laughed, "I'll take that as a yes...see you at lunch..." Ashley flounced over to the teleportation room. He went towards Karone and Zhane, "What's going on you guys?" he questioned. Karone sighed at her brother.

"Look...I don't want Zhane to train until he is better," Karone started.

"Karone," Zhane objected immediately. "I am ok..."

"No you aren't Zhane..." Karone interrupted, taking his hand in her own. Andros looked at the couple. The rational part that he grew up with was saying that he should just let Zhane tough it out. But when he saw how upset Karone was getting; he couldn't help but go with Karone's line of thinking.

Andros sighed, "Karone is right,"

"What?" Karone and Zhane asked at the same time.

"You are just going to hurt yourself while you train...you need to rest," Andros said to Zhane. Zhane sighed, and nodded his head in defeat.

"Thank you Andros," Karone said, kissing her older brother on the cheek. Andros smiled in surprise, and saw Zhane frown lightly. "Zhane..." Karone whispered, and Zhane sighed.

"Get some rest..." Andros advised, and saw Karone wrap her arm around Zhane's shoulders. He decided to leave the couple alone, and head what was designated his room...for the moment. Andros had no idea if he would be able to stay on the Mega Ship or not. Sighing he laid down on the cot, and drifted off to sleep.

"Zhane..." Karone murmured, having him sit down. "Want me to get you anything?"

"No I'm fine," he said to her, giving her a peck on the cheek. "We should be out there looking for Celestra..." Zhane said with an apparent sigh. He started to stand up, but Karone shook her head at him. "Karone..." he said in a soft voice.

"Zhane..." Karone whispered. "Please...I don't want you to get hurt again...I was so scared...when you..." Zhane sat down, and pulled Karone next to him on the bed. Karone smiled as she curled up with him.

"I'm sorry," Zhane murmured, burying his face into her hair. "I will relax...ok?" he whispered softly.

"Thank you," Karone breathed, squeezing Zhane lightly. "I just want you to be healthy again," Karone said to him. Karone relaxed against him, and Zhane grasped her hand with his own.

"Me too," Zhane said to her. He smiled at her, and laughed lightly. "Karone...I am not going to break," and he tightened his arms around her. She giggled, and rested her head on his shoulder. Zhane felt wiped out; he couldn't believe how tired he was. Karone pulled her head up and looked at his tired face.

"Get some sleep..." she whispered, kissing his eyebrows. Zhane smiled, and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'll stay right next to you," Karone said to him.

"Nah..." Zhane said. He knew that Karone was wanting to see her brother and hang out with him some more. "You can go be with your brother for a little bit..."

"But-," Karone started.

"No buts," Zhane said nuzzling her neck lightly. "I promise I will get some rest," Zhane said squeezing her once again before unwrapping his arms from her. "Have some fun,"

"Ok..." Karone said. "but I'll be back soon," she promised, and Zhane nodded kissing her on the lips. Karone walked towards Andros' room. She knocked on his door and called out, "Andros..." Andros walked over to the door, and opened it up.

"Hey Karone," he said in a surprised voice. "Something wrong?" he questioned.

"Why do you assume every time I come over it is because something is wrong?" Karone asked. Not waiting for the answer she said, "I just wanted to hang out with you for a little bit," Karone murmured. Andros nodded his head and allowed a small smile to come onto his face.

"Ok...what do you want to do?" he asked, stepping out of his room.

"I dunno..." Karone said in a surprised voice. "I was thinking you weren't going to be too keen just hanging out with me..." Karone said in a sad voice. Andros frowned at that note. Why would she think that? Andros wrapped his arms around his little sister, and felt her squeeze back tightly.

"Karone...don't ever think that," Andros whispered. Karone buried her head into his shoulder, and let him hold on to her. "Feeling better?" Andros questioned softly.

"Yeah...thanks," Karone whispered. "I missed you so much all these years; I just can't believe that you are here right now,"

"I wish I knew I how to make you feel better...I am not too good with this big brother thing," Andros whispered. Karone grinned and pulled away.

"It will all become back soon...you were such a great big brother to me..." Karone thought for a moment, "maybe..." she started to lead Andros to the holo-deck. "I want to finish our game..." Karone said with a smile. Andros looked confused, and Karone just smiled. "Before...you were kidnapped...we were playing a game with a ball. We used to practice our telekinesis," Karone explained.

"Oh," Andros said, and Karone's excited face deflated.

"We don't have to if you don't want to," Karone murmured.

"No...we can do that," Andros said giving her a smile. They walked over to the holo-deck, and Karone had DECA synthesize a telekinesis ball to practice.

"DECA, can you put us in my spot on KO35?" Karone asked. The room turned to the place where she and Zhane dubbed their spot. Karone dragged Andros away from their spot and found a secluded area. She focused on the ball and it levitated into the air. She sent it to Andros and he caught it with his own telekinesis. It wouldn't seem too much fun to other adults on KO35, but Karone and Andros were having the time of their lives. "Thank you Andros..." Karone said after an hour. "I really had fun..."

"Me too Karone..." Andros said to her, and the first time felt like that he was...home.


	26. Chapter 26

Thanks Rah...you helped me get the chapter flowing again. Anyways, enjoy the chapter folks

Karone walked towards her and Zhane's room, and quietly opened up the door. She saw Zhane tucked in bed, with a portable computer in front of him. He turned his head up and smiled when he saw Karone standing at the doorway. "Hey," he said to her.

"Zhane..." Karone said softly, "I thought you promised me you would rest," Karone said, attempting to take the computer away from him. Zhane held onto it with one hand and gently pulled her down on the bed with him.

"I am resting..." Zhane assured his worried girlfriend, "I am just doing some research on Celestra...nothing strenuous," Karone nodded her head.

"Ok..." Karone whispered, giving Zhane's arm a squeeze. He lifted his arm up and she leaned into him, and once again Zhane draped his arm over her. "Did you find anything about her?" she questioned, and Zhane frowned shaking his head.

"The only one who had information on her is your brother," Zhane murmured. Karone nodded her head. A grin appeared once again on Zhane's face, "speaking of Andros...did you have fun hanging out with him?" Karone's face blossomed into a grin.

"Yeah..." Karone murmured, "finally got to finish our game that we started years ago," Karone whispered.

"I'm glad..." Zhane murmured.

"You are?" Karone asked.

"Of course Karone," Zhane whispered, "Why wouldn't I be?" Zhane questioned, rubbing his face into her hair.

"You didn't want to trust Andros..." I murmured.

"I do now..." he assured her. "I love you..."

"Love you too," Karone whispered, giving him a squeeze. "How are you feeling?" she asked him, giving him a squeeze.

"Good," he said. "relaxed," he added after a moment. Karone smiled, and snuggled into him once again.

Meanwhile Cassie was trying to get Ashley's attention during class. "Ash..." she stage whispered. "Ashley..." she lightly tapped her shoulder, and Ashley finally turned around.

"Sorry Cass, my mind is somewhere else at the moment," Ashley said, "What's up?"

"Its been a while..." Cassie said.

"What are you talking about? We hang out everyday," Ashley said.

"No...it is more like you are zoning out half the time..." Cassie said. "I mean...you didn't even say anything when I told you that Carlos asked me out," Cassie said in an aggravated voice. "I mean...I was kind of expecting you to be happy for me...or at least yourself. All you ever did was complain and say that he followed you around like a lost puppy. And when he finally let you go...it was like nothing. Andros can't be all of your life," The bell rang, and Ashley rolled her eyes at her best friend.

"Andros is not the only thing I think of," Ashley said, but she did feel bad that she did ignore Cassie. "I'm sorry that I have been zoning out...so when did Carlos ask you out?" Ashley questioned.

"A couple of days ago," Cassie said with a small smile.

"So did you say yes?" Ashley questioned with a grin on her face. Cassie nodded her head, and Ashley pulled Cassie into a hug. "Good for you," Carlos headed over towards the girls, a small smile plastered on his face.

He wrapped an arm around Cassie, "Hey Cass," he said to her, planting a kiss on her cheek. Cassie laughed, and turned towards Ashley. "Hey Ashley," he said.

"Hey," Ashley said, going to her locker to put away her books. She sighed, it was finally lunch time. "Glad to see you and Cassie so happy together," Ashley said to them with a smile.

"Thanks Ash," Carlos whispered, tightening his arm around Cassie.

"Guys..." Ashley sighed, "I want you to be honest with me...are you bothered by Andros?" Cassie looked at Carlos. "You guys...look, I am dating him. Please...he is trying his best to be nice...can you at least reciprocate?" Ashley asked. Andros overheard this, but still walked over towards Ashley.

"Ashley..." Andros murmured, wrapping his arms lightly around her from the behind. Ashley leaned back into him, and felt how tightly Andros was holding her. She reached up and lightly touched Andros' arm, and he loosened his hold on her.

"Hey," Ashley said leaning back into him.

"Hey Andros," Carlos said, attempting to be friendly. Andros gave a small smile at Carlos, and continued to hold Ashley. Ashley turned around in Andros' embrace and put a kiss on his lips.

"Glad you are here," Ashley said to him.

"I'm glad you invited me," Andros replied. Carlos looked around, wondering where Cassie and TJ were. He finally spotted them and flagged them down.

"Hey guys," TJ greeted, setting his backpack and lunch down on the table. They sat together, laughing and genuinely enjoying each other's company for a good fifteen minutes before Andros got a nervous feeling. The small hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and his muscles flexed instinctively.

"Andros are you ok?" Ashley asked, feeling the sudden tensing of muscles.

"Yeah...I will be right back. I just have to use the bathroom," he mumbled and disentangled himself from around Ashley. He wandered to the corner of the building and ducked out of sight.

"I know you're here so quit the invisibility games and just come out," he said.

He waited for a moment before a figure approached him. The figure was very slender and looked very out of place in civilian clothing. She stopped a few inches away from Andros and looked him up and down.

"You look so pathetic dressed like this. I think a cape suited you," she said with a coy smile.

"I could say the same for you, Celestra," he shot back, standing his ground. She took half a step towards him, her hair catching in the noontime sunlight.

"I wonder what your little Ranger friends would think about this little rendezvous," she teased, managing to get an arm around his neck.

"You are under the mistaken impression that I cannot handle this situation on my own," he said, failing to stop himself from stroking her cheek.

"Allowing yourself to hold another woman...not very faithful, my Prince," she hissed into his ear. He could feel the venom and sarcasm dripping from her tone as he grabbed her wrist and spun her around, slamming her against the hard brick wall behind him. He pressed his forearm against her throat, her arm still twisted a painful angle.

"You were saying," he hissed back. She let out a small laugh, her eyes locked onto his.

"One thing hasn't changed. You still think you can conquer women," she spat. He gave her a half smirk.

"That's because I can...and you are no different than you were when you were a little girl," he whispered, his other arm beginning to slide up the inside of her thigh.

In the back of his mind, Andros knew he shouldn't be doing this. It was unfaithful to Ashley.

"Allowing yourself to hold another woman...not very faithful, my Prince," she hissed into his ear. He could feel the venom and sarcasm dripping from her tone as he grabbed her wrist and spun her around, slamming her against the hard brick wall behind him. He pressed his forearm against her throat, her arm still twisted a painful angle.

"You were saying," he hissed back. She let out a small laugh, her eyes locked onto his.

"One thing hasn't changed. You still think you can conquer women," she spat. He gave her a half smirk.

"That's because I can...and you are no different than you were when you were a little girl," he whispered, his other arm beginning to slide up the inside of her thigh.

In the back of his mind, Andros knew he shouldn't be doing this. It was unfaithful to Ashley.

Rah: He was slipping hard and fast back into old habits, habits that until now he had tried to tell himself he wouldn't miss. Celestra struggled under his grip as his hand continued meander up her leg. it was as if it had a mind of its own. Celestra managed to get enough breatht o speak.

"I'll scream," she croaked out.

"I didn't do you any good before," he replied, his fingers slithering like snakes beneath the fabirc of her skirt.

"They will now," she coughed.

Back at the table, Ashely was looking around for Andros. He'd been gone a while and she was getting worried.

"Did he get lost?" Carlos laughed but stopped when Ashley glared at him. Just then there was a ragged cry coming from around the corner of the school. The Rangers were on their feet in seconds. Ashley gasped as she saw a girl struggling against Andros...and his hand was up her skirt.

"What are you doing?" she screamed. Andros looked at her, anger in his eyes. But he wasn't angry at her, not really. He could feel Celestra trying to move beneath his grip.

"Help me," she gasped, hoping they would believe her over him.

"You little bitch," Andros hissed, releasing his arm from her throat.

"Why don't you show them who you really are," he called as she stumbled forward. She looked at him and then the Rangers. Recognizing defeat, her clothes changed into her traidtional armor and cape.

"Celestra?" Ashley rasped, looking at Andros still.

"How could you?" she cried, walking up to him and smacking him across the face.

It was like he didn't even register her words or actions. He looked at Celestra and pushed Ashley aside. His sword appeared in his hand and he advanced.

Before Celestra had the chance to summon her own weapon, he had let a low blow fly, striking her in the side. She gasped as blood stained her clothing. She looked at him, trying to apply pressure and look angry at the same time. It came off more as a very pained expression.

"You haven't won yet, My Prince," she coughed before disappearing. Ashley couldn't tear her eyes off of Andros; she couldn't believe what he had done. Andros took a calming breath, disarming himself before turning to Ashley.

"Ash..." he said softly, attempting to put a hand on her shoulder. She shirked away from him, and didn't bother hiding the tears flowing from her eyes

"Stay away from me..." Ashley growled, and ran the opposite direction.

Andros received glares from the other Rangers as they began to walk away. Andros let out an angry grunt and slammed his fist against the brick wall. It hurt like hell but he didn't care. Celestra had managed to ruin everything. He knew he couldn't go back to the ship. Zhane and Karone would probably already know what happened. He needed to find a place to cool off. Looking around, he morphed and disappeared. He reappeared in a small crater on Earth's moon. It wasn't exactly what he'd been shooting for but it worked.

Ashley didn't return to class, she just teleported back on to the Mega Ship. She needed some time of her own to do some thinking. She went into the holo-deck, and started up a battle sim. As the Quantrons kept flooding in, she kept her mind on seeing what Andros had done. She let out a growl, and as she let loose a punch, she sent a Quantron flying backwards. She had to admit to herself, she should have known that at some point there would be rocky roads dealing with Andros. In his path of growing up, he had many horrible traits.

She knew that she should be try to be more understanding of Andros' feelings. "Ashley...what are you doing here?" Karone asked. "I thought it was Andros in here...considering you have been here for two hours,"

Ashley paused the simulation and looked at Karone. She wiped some sweat off of her face before speaking.

"I...I just needed some time," Ashley answered. Karone stepped into the room, looking concerned.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's...Andros stopped by at school today..." she began.

"Well that doesn't sound like a bad thing," Karone interjected but Ashley held her hand up to stop her.

"He says he as to go to the bathroom and he's gone a long time. We hear a scream and he's got his hand up a girl's skirt like he's going to..." Ashley continued.

"Oh God...Ash..." Karone gasped.

"He looked at me...and he was so angry...I thought...I don't know what I thought...and it turned out to be Celestra," Ashley started to ramble.

"He attacked her but she got away," she finished.

Karone didn't say anything for a few minutes. She just looked at Ashley in shock.

"Did he...say what happened?" Karone asked.

"No...he tried but I didn't listen," Ashley murmured.

"I'm sure he wasn't trying to be unfaithful or anything..." Karone offered. Ashley just shrugged and started the simulation up again. With that Karone left the room and headed for the bridge.

"DECA, scan the area for Andros," Karone said.

"He is on Earth's moon," the computer replied.

"Thanks," Karone replied and teleported down. She wandered around for a few minutes before she spotted him.

"Andros," she called out. She startled him. He jumped, his hand moving instinctively to where his sword used to rest. Andros turned and saw Karone morphed and forced himself to relax his taunt hand. He turned away, not wanting to be anywhere near anyone right now, thought it probably wouldn't stop his little sister from getting to him.

Despite his defensiveness, Karone moved closer, demorphing and taking his hand in hers. He tried to pull away but she wouldn't let him.

"I'm here," she whispered, squeezing his hand.

"Please leave me alone," he said.

"I heard about what happened...I don't think it's your fault," Karone said.

"What would you know about it?" he shot.

"You love Ashley. You wouldn't hurt her," Karone answered.

"I...I don't know if that's true...the feeling I got...being able to control her...it felt good...but I don't want to feel that way when Ashley and I are together...I don't want to feel like I own her," he rambled. Karone leaned her head on her older brother's shoulder, and gave his shoulders a squeeze. "Karone...I can't be the guy Ashley wants me to be,"

"Yes you can," Karone assured him. "You have changed in so many ways since you guys have been dating. You aren't the monster you once were. That was the school's fault, and Ashley is changing you for the better," Andros sighed heavily, his sister was making sense. "Ashley will forgive you Andros,"

"What if I can't forgive myself? What if I'm always going to be this way?" he protested.

"I...you have to believe that you won't be. You can fight this...beat this. I know you can," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"I begin to doubt that a little more every day..." he mumbled.

"Once Dark Specter and Celestra are gone...everything will be ok" she said. Instead of rebutting he just nodded his head. He felt Karone squeeze him gently, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you Karone," Andros murmured into her hair. After a couple more minutes, Karone brought him up to his feet.

"Come on, lets go get your girl back," Karone whispered, tugging at his arm. Andros didn't look too sure about Ashley forgiving him, not so easily. "Ashley is a big softie...she-,"

"Ashley doesn't deserve to deal with this shit," Andros mumbled. "Maybe she would be better off-," Karone smacked him upside his head, and he glared at his younger sister. Karone frowned, and Andros felt guilt entering his system.

"Don't put yourself down Andros," Karone whispered. "Come on..." Karone whispered. Andros looked terrible, and Karone could feel the guilt radiating off of him. "Andros...stop it," Karone demanded, teleporting them back to the Mega Ship.

"Karone...what if-," Andros started, "what if she doesn't accept me back?" Andros felt the beginning of tears hitting his eyes, but going back to training he automatically shut his tears off. Ashley was around the corner, and heard what Andros was saying. "What I almost did was...is unforgivable..." Ashley looked at his face, and then turned around. "Maybe I should just stay in the brig tonight," Andros murmured, pulling away from Karone. Ashley went into her room, and took a quick shower, and pulled her hair back. She headed towards the brig, and found Andros just sitting on the floor.

"Andros..." Ashley said tentatively. Andros pulled his hopeful gaze to Ashley's face.

"Ashley," Andros murmured sadly. "I'm sorry...I know that doesn't excuse what I did..." Andros breathed. Ashley sat down in front of Andros.

"Do you want to try to explain what happened?" Ashley questioned. Andros shook his head, knowing she would hate the explanation he had for her. "Andros...I am not going to leave..." Andros brought his gaze down before he tried to explain what he did. Ashley grasped his hand, her eyes imploring him to tell her.

"I..." Andros started, "I sensed that Celestra was near...and I had planned on just killing her," Ashley nodded her head, "but I just..." Ashley sensed that he was having the harem like feelings. "I just loved the control...and I don't want that feeling with you..."

"Andros...its ok..." Ashley whispered.

"No...its not," Andros shot, "I might lose control..." Ashley wrapped her arms tightly around him. She still felt slightly betrayed about Celestra.

"Andros...I am here for you. I will help you Andros..." Ashley promised.

"Ashley...I am so sorry," he whispered softly. "I am afraid Ashley...I don't want to hurt you like I just did a couple hours ago,"

"We'll get through this..." Ashley said, and she finally felt him reciprocate his arms around her. She brought him close, and held him against her for a while. "Come on..." Ashley said pulling him to his feet.

"Ash...are you sure?" Andros questioned reluctantly. Ashley seemed reluctant at first, but tugged at his hands. Ashley led Andros to her room, and Andros headed for the couch.

"You can sleep in my bed with me," Ashley whispered.

"Ashley..." Andros breathed.

"Are-,"

"Yes I am sure..." Ashley had him lay down on his bed. She laid her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Ashley pressed her lips up to his, and she felt him kiss back slowly. Ashley grasped his hands, and felt Andros squeeze back. Andros was going to prove that he was going to be faithful to her. Karone was right; once Celestra and Dark Specter were gone things would get better. That wasn't going to stop him from trying to change as soon as possible. Ashley kissed him once again, and he leaned his head on to hers. Knowing that Ashley was trying to forgive him, slowly eased his mind as he drifted off to sleep.


	27. Chapter 27

Celestra let out a low growl as she teleported back onto her ship. A few Quantrons came to steady her, but she shoved them off. She didn't need a bunch of clunk heads to help treat her wound. She couldn't believe that Demios had managed to get drop on her. Well it seemed like her plan to break the little trust he had with the Earth Rangers looked like it worked. She looked down at the wound that Demios inflicted on her body, and applied pressure to stop the bleeding.

One of her minions slowly approached her.

"Princess...you're hurt," he said. She glared him.

"It's nothing," she said, trying to brush it off. IN all actuality, it hurt like hell.

"I think you should lie down, rest a little," he told her.

"I am fine," she shouted, causing him to burst into pieces with a spark of electricity.

She looked around at the rest of her servants.

"Anyone else like to tell me what to do on my own ship?" she growled. They all took a collective step backwards, some shaking their heads.

"Good," she snapped and stormed off. She reached her quarters and closed the door. Slowly she peeled the clothing away from the wound and winced. The laceration went at least an inch or two deep and she could feel the edge of her ribcage poking out. With a shaky breath she reached for a length of gauze and began to wrap it around her midsection. It wasn't a pernament fix but it would do. She couldn't be preoccupied with this when she had a team of Rangers and one very annoying Prince to decimate.

She finished bandaging herself and sat down on her bed. She tried not to think about what had happened. She should have known she could provoke that kind of anger and dominance in him. She should have been prepared, drawn her weapon when he'd started up her thigh. But she hadn't.

"You're going to regret this," she growled to the empty room.

The other Rangers had finally returned to the Megaship to find Karone sitting on the bridge.

"Hey," Cassie called.

"Oh...hey," the other girl replied. Karone knew that the other rangers were feeling a little strange about Andros after what he did. "What's up?" Karone asked in a cautious voice.

Cassie looked at TJ and Carlos, unsure of what to say. Andros was Karone's brother and in the time he'd been wiith them, Karone had grown to trust him.

"Uh...well...Andros...kind of..." she trailed off. Karone stood up.

"I know what he did and if you gave him half a minute to explain, you'd realize what really happened," she snapped, beginning to walk away.

"Well what happened then? Because what I saw was a guy who we still don't know if we can trust trying to get it on with the enemy," Carlos called.

"She tricked him. It wasn't his fault," Karone said through gritted teeth.

"You weren't there Karone," Carlos snapped back.

"I didn't have to be there," Karone growled angrily. "I know my broth-,"

"Karone..." Cassie said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "you really don't know him that well," Karone shook her head at Cassie and pulled away.

"You know...Andros has been nothing but try and help this team, and he makes one mistake...and you are ready to kick him to the curb!" Karone shouted.

"You didn't see the way he looked at us...at Ashley. He was ready to kill," TJ said calmly.

"To kill Celestra. He was trying to do us a favor," Karone growled and stormed off. She was halfway to her room when she ran into Zhane.

"What's all the shouting about?" he asked. Apparently he hadn't seen Ashley or Andros.

"Something happened and they're all overreacting," Karone grumbled.

"Something...something like what?" Zhane pressed. Karone let out a groan and rolled her eyes.

"Celestra showed up and she sort of got the better of Andros and he kind of slipped up a little," Karone answered. She had no idea how Zhane would react if she said the whole truth. He barely trusted Andros as it was.

"And..." he could sense a but coming up, but Karone didn't seem too keen on telling more on what happened.

"And...they all overreacted," Karone said, trying to walk past him.

"Karone, what aren't you telling me?" Zhane pressed, catching her by the arm.

"Nothing," she lied but knew he could see through it.

"He was...trying to..." she looked away.

"What?" Zhane prompted.

"He was trying to rape her," Karone rasped almost inaudibly.

"What?" Zhane shouted, immediately earning himself a glare from his girlfriend.

"He let her go," she snapped.

"He wounded her too. He did us all a favor. She won't be as strong now. We might actually have a chance at saving Zordon," Karone stated, leaving Zhane to stand in the corridor alone.

Karone instead walked towards the holo-deck, and set up the KO-35 park. Her and Zhane's spot. She sighed, and sat down on the familiar feeling grass, and brought her knees to her chin. She wished that Zhane would have been more understanding. Her thoughts went towards her brother, and she knew that this was going to be extremely hard on Andros. He was judged enough already, but there was no way he could deal with all this distrust.

In Ashley's room, Andros was having difficulties in his dreams. Ashley's eyes opened up and she saw Ashley brought her arms around Andros' body, and leaned her chin on to his head. "Andros...wake up,"Ashley breathed, and he started, his eyes darting back and forth widely. "Andros...you are just on the Mega Ship,"

"Ashley..." Andros murmured, guilt was still playing out in his features. "Ashley...I don't want you to get hurt by this...maybe I should just leave the ship..."

"Andros...don't," Ashley whispered. Andros looked confused; "I promised that I would help you..."

"But what about the others? I hate that I am forcing a wedge into your relationship with them," Andros whispered.

"You aren't," Ashley assured him. Andros stayed silent, and felt Ashley lean her head into his neck. "I am here because I want to be. The others will come around soon, I know they will," Ashley whispered.

"Thanks Ashley," Andros whispered, brushing his lips on hers. "I just wish I could have just killed her...things wouldn't be so..."

"It will be ok," Ashley whispered, "we will fight her together," Ashley murmured. Andros just nodded his head, and sighed. "I am glad Karone had managed to calm you down last night,"

"Yeah..."

"You want to go see how she is doing?" Ashley asked. "I can go get some breakfast for us while you do," Ashley said.

"Thanks Ash...that sounds good," Andros murmured.

"DECA, where is Karone at?" Ashley asked before Andros could.

"Holodeck," DECA replied, "she requested to be left alone," Andros frowned. Ashley nodded her head, and hopped out of bed.

"Don't worry about breakfast, just go see what's bothering Karone," Ashley said, patting Andros' shoulder. Andros just nodded his head, not sure how to approach his little sister. "Andros...just try talking to her," Andros smiled, and walked out of Ashley's room. As he approached the holodeck, he made sure to stay away from the rest of the team.

He attempted to open up the door, but it didn't budge. "DECA, can you open up the door?" Andros questioned.

As soon as the questioned was uttered, DECA went to Karone. She had fallen asleep, and DECA had prodded her awake. "Karone...Andros is wanting to come in," She brushed her hands over her eyes, and sighed. "He wants to talk to you..."

"Let him in please," Karone managed to choke out, before she succumbed to silence again. After a couple minutes Andros found his little sister, her knees drawn into her chin again.

"Hey," Andros murmured softly. "Is it ok if I sit down with you?" Karone nodded, and she reached out with her hand to grab one of his. Instead of taking it, he gently tugged her arm and brought her to him. He embraced his little sister tightly, and she squeezed back gently. "I'm sorry," he breathed into her hair. "I am so sorry," as he felt tears hitting his shirt.

"I will be ok," she managed, to say. "I am just worried about you," Karone whispered.

"You are worried about me? I should be the one doing those kind of things," he murmured gently. "I just don't want you to get hurt,"

"I am trying to help you. The team doesn't trust you, and I can't seem to get them to," Karone whispered, burying her head into his shoulder. Andros didn't know what to say; so he decided to bring her closer to him, and ran his hand slowly up and down her back. "Zhane didn't even believe me," Karone murmured.

"Karone, Zhane will come around. He loves you too much not to," Karone gave Andros a watery smile, and he kissed her on her forehead. He gave her a small grin, and rubbed her arms.

"Andros...can we stay here for a little while longer?" Karone questioned, "I'm not ready to go yet," Karone murmured. Andros nodded his head, and felt her tighten her arms again. "Thank you,"

"Of course," Andros murmured.

"I love you Andros..." Karone breathed.

"Love you too," Andros murmured. Karone finally got out of Andros' embrace, and stood up. Andros stood up as well, and Andros wrapped an arm around Karone. "Come on...lets go get you something to eat,"

Karone nodded her head, and let her brother lead her towards where Ashley's room. As they approached her room, Zhane walked by. Karone ignored his gaze, but he caught her arm lightly, "Karone..." he said, a wounded expression on his face, "can we please talk about this?" he asked.

"Karone...whatever you want to do," Andros said, "breakfast will be in Ashley's room if you want," Karone nodded her head at Andros, and he gave Karone's hand a squeeze before letting her go. Karone looked at Zhane.

"What?" Karone asked in a small voice. She had attempted to be angry about it, but it had come out hurt. Zhane wasn't the only one who felt like the trust that they had shared for so many years feel shattered. Zhane sighed, and ran a hand over his face. "Karone, I know that you are mad at me right now," Zhane whispered. "but you have to understand that Andros almost raped someone. Even if," Zhane said, putting his hand up to stop Karone from talking, "that was Celestra, he is still capable of doing that again,"

"I can't believe you Zhane," Karone snapped at him. "He is trying so hard right now to make everything right, and to get better,"

"He isn't just going to snap back to being the Andros you know Karone!" Zhane shot back at her.

"Not that you really knew him before," he added. Her eyes widened and she took a step away from, letting her hand fly out and slap him across the face.


	28. Chapter 28

_There is a sensual scene here...so yeah, there is your warning_

Zhane reached up and rubbed gently where Karone's palm had been. He didn't say anything; he had a wounded expression on his face. Karone looked at Zhane then at her hand. Zhane opened up his mouth to try and say something, but Karone shook her head angrily. "Stay away from me," Karone growled, turning around. Karone stormed over towards Ashley's room, wanting to be far away from Zhane. She brushed the tears from her eyes away, and before knocking on Ashley's door.

Ashley opened the door, and saw Karone crying. "Hey...what happened?" Ashley asked, pulling the girl into a hug.

"Me and Zhane got into a fight," Karone murmured, and she felt Ashley bring her towards the bed. "About Andros..." Karone said wiping her tears away again.

"Karone, I am so sorry," Ashley whispered.

"He said he trusted Andros now..." Karone murmured, "So how come when something happens, Zhane isn't giving Andros his trust now?" Karone breathed. Andros walked into the room, and saw Karone crying. "Andros..." Karone cried out, and Andros put down the plates of food he had in his hands, and walked to his sister. He pulled his sobbing sister into a tight hug, and she brought her face into his neck.

"What's wrong?" Andros murmured softly. Karone didn't answer, she just buried herself deeper into her brother.

"Karone if it is about the others..." Andros started.

"Its not..."Karone murmured, "at least not completely. Me and Zhane got into it,"

"Karone...you shouldn't fight about me," Andros murmured, "you two have been through enough already,"

"You are my brother, of course I am going to defend you," Karone whispered. Andros didn't know what to tel his little sister. Andros brought Karone closer and kissed the top of her head.

"Karone...you shouldn't have to do that," Andros murmured. "I should be able to be a good big brother, and hide you from that kind of stuff," Ashley sat down next to Karone, and gave her shoulder a squeeze before looking at Andros.

"Andros..you are a good big brother," Karone blubbered, squeezing him tightly.

"You are," Ashley said to Andros. "You have been nothing but supportive of Karone since you found out that you guys were related. Plus even when you were evil, you never hurt Karone," Ashley whispered. Andros smiled softly, and continued to rub Karone's back. "I'll leave you two alone," Ashley said, getting up off her bed. "Karone...you can use my bed if things are still bad with Zhane,"

"Thank you," Karone managed to give Ashley a small smile and Ashley left the room. Ashley wandered around the Mega Ship, but didn't expect to run into Zhane.

"Zhane," Ashley said in a cautious voice. Ever since he had been elected leader, he had been stressing out more and more.

"Ashley," Zhane murmured. He looked terrible about what had happened between him and Karone.

"You know Karone is crushed about what happened?" Ashley informed him. That made Zhane feel guiltier, but he kept a strong front.

"She isn't the only one hurting right now," Zhane reminded her. "Why aren't you angrier about what Andros did?" Zhane shot at her.

"Because Andros isn't like other guys who were raised correctly," Ashley rebutted, "I'm sorry that Andros isn't perfect like you," Ashley growled as an afterthought.

"Well at least I am remaining faithful to Karone," Zhane shot. Ashley bit back some tears, being reminded of the look of Andros' face while he had almost succeeded on raping Celestra. Zhane bit down his anger when he saw that he had hurt Ashley. He knew that he had hurt Karone, but didn't she realize that he was hurt as well? "I'm sorry Ash," Zhane murmured.

"I can understand why everyone is so reluctant to trust Andros...but we need to give him the benefit. He is a part of the team now, and deserves every right as every one else," Ashley said.

"So you are saying that I should forget about the fact that he maliciously murdered Karone and my childhood friends?!" Zhane yelled at her.

"He's not that person anymore. You'd see that if you ever took that stick out of your ass," she snapped.

"Not that person anymore? Ashley he tried to rape someone!" Zhane shouted back.

"But he didn't," she retorted and began to walk away.

"I can see why Karone gets so frustrated with you," she muttered just loud enough for him to hear. Zhane shook his head angrily, but decided against saying anything more to Ashley. Ashley didn't know what it was like to lose half her team; her friends...but Karone did. He sighed; he thought that Karone would be on his side about this. He sighed and headed towards the holo-deck to try and get his mind off of what has been happening.

Ashley went the opposite direction and got back to her room. Karone had fallen asleep, and Andros was just transferring her fully to the bed. Andros pulled a blanket over Karone, and went to Ashley. "Hey," he whispered. "Something wrong?" Andros questioned.

"No," Ashley said. She wasn't going to tell Andros or Karone about what happened. "Can we just get out of here for a while?"

"Sure," he replied and they walked away from the room. He led her towards the transport room and down to Earth. They ended up at the Surf Spot. Adele spotted them immediately and walked over.

"Well look who it is. What can I get you?" she asked, smiling broadly.

"A couple milkshakes," Andros began, looking at Ashley. She nodded her head.

"And some burgers," he added.

"Coming right up," Adele said and went to place the order.

"You sure there isn't anything wrong?" Andros questioned, looking at Ashley. She was looking a little down, and that wasn't normal for Ashley.

"I'm fine," Ashley tried to assure Andros. "Better now," she amended. Andros reached under the table, and grasped Ashley's hand. Ashley squeezed back, and gave Andros a smile. "Just a little worried about Karone," she admitted after a moment.

"Me too," Andros said. "She refused to go talk to Zhane," Andros told her. "She wanted to make sure that I was ok," Andros said with a light laugh. "She needs to worry about herself..." Andros murmured. Ashley opened her mouth to say more, but Adele came back.

"Here you kids go," Adele said with a grin. "If you need anything else, just give me a holler,"

"We will," Ashley said, a real smile appearing on her face. Adele walked away, and Ashley turned back to Andros. "Andros...Karone isn't just going to worry about herself. She is going to put you first because you guys are siblings," Andros took a bite out of his burger, and swallowed before opening his mouth again.

"I guess that's understandable," Andros whispered.

"You are doing a great job being a big brother," Ashley told him.

Andros looked down at his food, slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks," he murmured, taking another bite of burger.

"I mean it, Andros. You're trying so hard and if the others can't see that, then they weren't as great friends as I thought," she said. He looked up at her.

"Ash. Come on, you don't mean that. I messed up, ok. It's ok for them to be mad about it," he replied.

"I just hate that we're all fighting all the time," she whimpered. He reached across the table and placed his hand gently on her cheek.

"Ashley...maybe you should try talking to them..." Andros whispered. "You don't want to lose your friends because of this," Ashley shook her head. "Ash..." he murmured, bringing her gaze back to his. "They are only worried for you...they don't want to get hurt," Ashley started to wipe at her eyes, and Andros scooted his chair closer to her, and wrapped his arm around her.

"Maybe...I should try to talk to them," Ashley murmured. "It just hurts me when they start attacking you," Ashley breathed.

"Just try to talk to them..." Andros whispered.

"It is just...hard to talk to them anymore," Ashley reluctantly admitted.

Up in space Karone woke up in an unfamiliar bed; she realized that she had fallen asleep in her brother's embrace. Andros and Ashley had probably gone out for a while, and she was glad that Andros was getting away from the Megaship for a while. Karone stretched, and stood to her feet. Karone looked at the alarm clock on the bedside and groaned. She saw how late it was getting, and that Ashley had school tomorrow. Her choice was to go back into her and Zhane's room, or just borrow some of Ashley's things. She browsed through Ashley's things, but it looked like Ashley had taken everything home. Letting out a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair. She knew that she had to eventually see Zhane again, but was scared to see how he would react to seeing her. Karone's stomach started to growl, and she knew she needed to get to the Mess Hall.

Walking out of Ashley's room, she headed towards the Mess Hall. Karone made it to the Mess Hall, and synthesized some food. She walked out of the Mess Hall and headed back towards Ashley's room. Just as she was about to pass the holo-deck door, it opened up and she collided with a warm, sweaty body. Her plate went flying and it crashed onto the floor. "Damn it," Karone muttered.

"I'm sorry are you-," Zhane started and then he realized it was Karone.

"I'm fine," she said, scrambling to get away from Zhane.

"Karone..." Zhane murmured lightly putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Zhane...I don't really want to get into a fight right now," Karone stated, bending down to pick up the shards of her plate.

"Karone...do you think I want to get into an argument with you?" Zhane breathed, taking the shards away from Karone so she wouldn't accidentally cut herself. He tossed them into a nearby trashcan and looked at his girlfriend. "Because I don't want to argue," he murmured.

Karone shook her head, and stood up. "Zhane...if we talk you are just going to bash Andros," Zhane sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. He just wished that Karone would take the moment to see it from his point of view. He didn't want to argue with Karone again; it would end up getting him slapped in the face last time. She looked like she was about to leave, "Karone...can't you understand why I am angry and hurt?" Karone stopped, and turned around to face him. "He killed our friends...and we now know he is still capable of rape..." Karone started to turn around, but Zhane placed a hand on her elbow stopping her.

"Zhane..." she whimpered softly. "He's my brother,"

"I know..." Zhane murmured, feeling slightly deflated. Karone looked at Zhane, feeling really depressed. Andros had wanted her to forgive Zhane...she knew that she should too. Zhane had been nothing but good to her all of her life. She wasn't going to let an argument come in between her and Zhane. "I'm sorry," Zhane whispered, "I don't want this to separate us..."

"I'm sorry too," Karone breathed. Zhane offered a hug, and Karone walked into him. Zhane wrapped her arms around her and breathed in lightly. It was only for a few hours, but it felt great to hold her small body against his. Karone buried her head into his shoulder, and he ran his hands up and down her back. Zhane bent his neck down and pressed his lips against hers. Karone wrapped her arms around his neck deepening the kiss. She pulled away slightly, and Zhane brushed her tears away. "Zhane..."

"Its ok," Zhane whispered soothingly, putting kisses on her forehead, cheeks, and eyebrows. "I love you," he breathed, and Karone kissed him softly on the lips. He pushed her gently on the wall, and started to trail kisses on her neck.

"Zhane..." she murmured softly in protest. Zhane stopped his assault, and took a few calming breaths. Karone looked at Zhane, and wrapped her hands around his. "Not out here," Zhane smirked slightly. "I am kinda awake..." Karone murmured with a smirk. Zhane led her towards their bedroom, and laid Karone down on the bed.

"Karone...are you sure you want to do this?" Zhane asked, not wanting to hurt her. Zhane brushed her hair from her face, and tenderly gazed into her eyes. Karone bit her lip; she wasn't really sure if she was ready. "Its ok if you don't want to," Zhane whispered softly. "No pressure," he promised. Karone grasped his hand, and he knew that she wasn't ready. "Its ok," Zhane whispered, kissing her softly on the lips.

"Zhane..." Karone whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I want to..."

"Karone..." Zhane gasped lightly, "are you sure?" he whispered softly. Karone nodded her head reluctantly. "Just tell me to stop if I am going too fast," Zhane murmured as he pressed his mouth on top of hers. Karone kissed back gently, and Zhane ran his hands slowly down her arms. One hand traveled up to her neck to bury his hand in her hair, and the other to rest comfortably on her waist. Karone didn't know what to do; she and Zhane had made out before, but never this intimate. Karone ran her hands up and down Zhane's back. He pressed his body closer to hers and she let out a moan. Zhane's lips started to travel to her collarbone, and she once again moaned his name.

Zhane started to lift Karone's shirt, kissing up her stomach. Karone's hands pulled on his shirt and he groaned as her hand brushed the front of his pants. Zhane lifted his lips from Karone's collarbone, and hurriedly took his tank top off. Karone's breathing started to become labored, and Zhane could feel the effect they were having from the tension. "Zhane," Karone moaned as his lips brushed the valley in between her breasts, she pressed his head to apply more pressure.

"Karone..." Zhane whispered, "we have all night," He pulled away, and put a couple fingers on her jeans. His eyes was asking permission to take her out of her jeans, and she nodded her head impatiently. Zhane's eyes hungrily looked at Karone's toned body, and Karone was once again becoming impatient. His hand traveled to the top of her breast and she let out a gasp. "You doing ok?" Zhane managed to choke out. Karone nodded her head, and Zhane's decided to go a little faster. He ran his hand up to her thigh, and slowly made his way to Karone's folds through her panties.

"Zhane," Karone moaned, bucking her hips lightly. She reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Zhane's eyes widened.

"Karone...you are so beautiful..." Zhane said as his lips teased her exposed chest. As his lips continued to tease her chest, he slipped a finger into her.

"Zhane..." Karone gasped as he continued his sweet torture. Another finger was inserted inside of her, making her moan again. She finally was able to focus long enough to start unbuckling his belt. Zhane let out a groan as Karone started to unintentionally to stroke him.

"Karone..." Zhane moaned, taking her hand stopping her. Zhane unbuckled his belt and pulled down his pants. She could clearly see how aroused he was, and her eyes widened when she saw how big he was. He pulled his fingers out from her, and moved his head lower. His tongue made entrance into her folds and she moaned in ecstasy. She could feel Zhane smile, as he continued to stimulate her. She started to moan loudly as his tongue quickened his pace. She climaxed in his mouth, and Zhane licked up her juices. Karone looked guilty as Zhane pulled his head back.

"What's wrong?" Zhane asked, touching her face gently.

"I didn't mean to do that..." Karone murmured. Zhane laughed, and pressed his lips against hers.

"Its ok..." Zhane murmured as he pressed his body against hers. He ground his hips into hers, letting her know how much he wanted her. Karone reached down, and tugged down at his boxers. "Karone..." he gasped as she continued to stroke him through his boxers. All the stimulation, he felt like he could explode. Zhane put his hand over Karone's, and stopped to reach back into his pants to pull out a condom. He wasn't going to be some reckless teenager and risk impregnating Karone. Quickly slipping it on, he positioned himself above her. "You sure you are ok with this?"

Karone weakly smiled, and nodded her head. Zhane mustered up all the self control he could get, and slowly entered Karone. Pain exploded inside of her, and Zhane saw it plastered all over her face. Zhane made a shushing noise, and placed light kisses all over face. Karone focused on the lips on her face, and slowly the pain turned into pleasure. He finally entered her fully, and he looked at her face. "I love you Karone," Zhane breathed as he slowly moved inside of her.

Karone started to meet his thrusts with rotations of her own. Both were panting each others names, and after a couple more thrusts, Karone climaxed again. Not stopping since he was close, he climaxed moments later. Zhane made sure he didn't crush Karone with his weight and slowly turned them so they were facing each other side by side. He pulled out gently, and disposed of the condom in the wastebasket. Turning back to Karone he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you Zhane," Karone finally manged to say when her breath caught up to her. Zhane grinned at her, and kissed her softly on the lips. Zhane looked exhausted, but stayed awake to cuddle with Karone. Her head went onto his heaving chest. Zhane let his hand drift up and down on her arm. She grasped his hands, but still looked awake.

"You want to grab a shower?" Zhane offered. Karone nodded her head shyly and stood up. Zhane led her to the bathroom, and turned on the shower. They both stepped into the comforting spray and Karone leaned into Zhane. It was definitely a lot more comforting than the last time they were there. Karone looked at Zhane's shoulder blade and saw the scar that had been there since Celestra's and Andros attack from when he was evil. Karone lightly touched the scars on his shoulder blade and felt guilty about them. He reached up and grasped her hand, "It is ok," he whispered, feeling the guilt radiating off of her. "Its ok," he assured her, kissing her sweetly on the lips. They washed each other quickly, and turned off the spray. Zhane grabbed a towel, and dried Karone off and she did the same for him.

Zhane was about to grab some pajamas, but Karone dragged him towards the bed. Zhane smiled as they laid down on their bed. Karone laid her head on Zhane's chest, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Zhane bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. "I love you Karone,"

"I love you too Zhane," Karone whispered sleepily. Zhane coaxed her into sleep by rubbing her back. Zhane brushed his lips in front of her forehead before going to sleep himself.


	29. Chapter 29

Zhane's eyes opened up, and he smiled at the woman in his arms. Zhane's fingers made patterns on her shoulder. He was glad that he and Karone were ok now; he hated when they got into fights. As his fingers continued to make patterns on her shoulder, she murmured something incoherently, and buried her head into Zhane's neck. He let his lips brush against her forehead, and Karone finally stirred. "Zhane..." Karone murmured.

"Morning," Zhane whispered. Karone smiled and nuzzled his neck lightly. "Are...we ok?" Zhane asked. He wanted to be sure that they were ok, and instantly his fears were alleviated as Karone kissed him softly on the lips.

"Yeah..we're ok," Karone breathed. He grinned, and kissed Karone again. Karone felt Zhane tighten his arms around her.

"You getting hungry?" Zhane questioned after a couple minutes.

"I want to cuddle for a little while longer..." Karone murmured shyly. Zhane grinned at her, and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

"Whatever you want Karone," Zhane breathed, rubbing his forehead against hers. Karone laid a hand on his chest, lightly brushing his scars again. He looked at her, a questioning glance was shining in his eyes. "You know I would jump in front of those lightening bolts again to save you..." Karone kissed his scars, and he jumped slightly.

"Love you Zhane," Karone whispered.

"Love you too," Zhane murmured, running his hand softly through her hair. "Karone..." he murmured quietly. She looked up at Zhane, "I don't want to fight again..."

"Me neither," Karone agreed. "Can we please not fight about my brother anymore?" Karone questioned in a small voice. Zhane sucked in a breath. He knew that his girlfriend would be a little sensitive about Andros, but he knew what she was asking was fair.

"Ok," Zhane murmured softly.

Not far away, the Dark Fortress idled, it's invisiblity shields in place. Celestra sat in the throne-like chair in the central command room, looking very bored. The bandage around her stomach is visible through her outfit.

"My Princess," a cronie calls to her.

"What? I'm thinking," she snapped, glaring at the robot.

"We have received word from Dark Specter that the Rangers must be eliminated and soon. Zordon grows weaker but we do not want to risk them finding him," he relayed.

"Tell him to get off my case. I'll get to it when I get to it," she growled, waving her hand at him to dismiss him. She did need to get rid of the rangers; maybe the key to that was Demios' little sister. He seemed to have a very weak spot for her, and Celestra could use that to her advantage. No matter what, it seemed like the purple ranger trusted her estranged brother. If she could somehow destroy the unnatural trust between them, she could break apart the team, and kill them all one by one. The thought of committing murder again. The main target she would go after would be Demios. He caused her so much hell, and it is payback time.

She looked around and smiled deviously. This was going to prove an interesting experiment.

Back on the Megaship, Andros sat on the bridge, staring out at the space around the ship. He was trying not to dwell on what had happened. He knew he wouldn't be of any use to anyone if he was distracted. "Andros..." Ashley's voice came out. He turned around and saw her with a look of worry plastered on her face. "You ok?" Ashley asked, wrapping a hand around one of his. He nodded his head distractedly.

"You talk with the others?" Andros asked, taking the spotlight off of him for the moment. Ashley looked a little guilty; she hadn't talked to any of them yet. They were her closest friends, but she was starting to feel like a stranger to them. "Ashley...why not?" he questioned. Ashley shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing why she hasn't attempted to talk to them. "Ash...you don't want to lose them as friends...plus if we aren't all strong as a team, we are going to be open to an attack from Celestra," Zhane walked onto the bridge, and saw them talking.

"Is this a bad time?" Zhane asked.

"No..." Ashley said before Andros could say anything. It looked like Zhane wanted to say something, and Ashley noticed. "I am going to go see if I can find Cassie," Ashley said, taking the opportunity to leave.

"What's up?" Andros questioned.

Zhane took a deep breath, hands shoved in his pockets.

"I just wanted to say that...I'm sorry I've been a jerk lately," he mumbled. Andros looked at him in confusion.

"Uh...am I missing something here?" he asked. Zhane shook his head.

"I...Karone and I sort of had a fight the other day...well about you and...well...I just want to say that...I trust you," Zhane rambled. Andros raised an eyebrow.

"You fought over me? Do I want to know why?" he asked.

"You know why," Zhane answered a little too sharply. Andros immediately understood.

"You reacted no differently than the others," Andros murmured.

"But...I shouldn't act like a complete asshole about it...we were friends once," Zhane said, finally sitting down.

Andros smiles to himself.

"We were, weren't we," he mumbles mostly to himself.

"I promised Karone that she and I wouldn't fight about you anymore...I just..." Zhane trailed off.

"What?" Andros prompted. Zhane takes a breath.

"Some of the stuff you do...sometimes...I just can't stop thinking we're all next," Zhane admitted.

"I know what I did to your friends is unforgivable. I don't ever expect you to show me any forgiveness for that," Andros said.

"I don't deserve that forgiveness," he added. Zhane looked at Andros; he looked truly guilty for what he had done. Demios wouldn't have cared about what he had done, but this was Andros.

"It really wasn't you," Zhane told him.

"The thing is...at some level, yeah it was me. And still is. It's always going to be there, no matter how many good things I do," Andros retorted.

"I guess I never thought about it that way. I never really made myself think about it from your perspective. You didn't ask to be kidnapped," Zhane said.

"I'm glad you were there for Karone while I was gone," Andros blurted.

"No problem," Zhane said, thinking about to the night before.

"She worries about you all the time," he added.

"I know. I guess...she found me and she doesn't want to lose me again," Andros sighed. Zhane nodded his head.

"What was she like?" Zhane blurted before he could stop himself.

"What?" Andros asked in confusion.

"Uh...Celestra...you know when you..." Zhane beat around what he really wanted to say.

"I really don't want to talk about it," Andros replied.

"Oh come on, guy to guy," Zhane prodded. He wasn't really sure why he wanted to know. Maybe it was a guy thing?

"I don't really know what's she's like. When it happened she was eleven. I was thirteen. I remembered she screamed a lot," Andros answered in monotone. "Why did you want to know?" he questioned after a moment. Even if Zhane and Andros were best friends, that would be a little awkward telling your best friend that you are having sex with his sister.

"Just curious," Zhane murmured distractedly. Andros didn't quite believe what Zhane was saying.

"That's not true. Spill. Why did you want to know," Andros pressed. Zhane let out a sigh.

"I...well...Karone and I...sort of...slept together last night," Zhane answered. Andros' eyes widened.

"You slept with my sister? Are you nuts!" he shot.

"Are you serious?" Zhane growled back at him. "You with your harem!? It wasn't just mindless sex," Zhane stated. Andros opened his mouth to retort angrily, but then closed it again. "You are such a hypocrite," Zhane shot.

Andros took a couple deep breaths to make sure he didn't overreact to this.

"You're right. I am," he said.

"What? Did...did you just agree with me?" Zhane asked.

"Yeah...I did. You're right. I never treated any of those women as more than objects. You care about Karone. I should be thankful that she has someone like you," Andros replied.

"Thanks..." Zhane murmured.

"But if you ever hurt her, you will have to deal with me," Andros threatened, and Zhane knew that Andros would hold up that threat.

"I won't hurt Karone, I promise," Zhane promised. Andros nodded his head, and felt himself calm down.

"So what do you think is going through Celestra's mind? What's her next move?" Zhane asked.

"She's wounded but I'm pretty sure that won't stop her. She's a stubborn as I am. But how she'll execute whatever her next move is. I can only guess," Andros replied.

Karone was in the kitchen waiting for Zhane to come back. She was glad that Zhane went to go apologize to Andros. This was a slow beginning of the team finally learning to try and forgive Andros. As the minutes passed by, Karone felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Something was going on, and it wasn't anything good.

She was about to go in search of Zhane when she felt a strange sensation all around her. With a 'zip' sound she disappeared. The next thing she knew, Karone found herself sitting in an empty room that was most certainly not the Megaship. Karone stood to her feet, and then felt fear chilling to the bone as she heard, "Well well well," Celestra's rang out. Karone turned and saw Celestra with a murderous glare in her eyes...


	30. Chapter 30

_Thank you Rah for the help on my chapters, it is greatly appreciated! Anyways y'all, enjoy this chapter_

Alarms started to blare, and Zhane immediately went to a computer counsel. "DECA what is going on?" Zhane shouted over the blaring alarms.

"Sensors indicate Celestra made an intrusion in the system," Andros felt his heart drop as he heard Celestra was around. Karone and Ashley were going to be in terrible danger.

"DECA where is Karone?" Andros yelled.

"Karone is aboard Celestra's ship," DECA replied. Zhane felt all the color drain from his face. Karone was on Celestra's ship. He stood up angrily, and headed towards the teleporter. Andros followed Zhane, just as angered by the fact that Karone was kidnapped.

"Zhane what the hell are you doing?" Andros shouted, forcefully pulling Zhane aside.

"We need to get her outta there!" Zhane retorted, just as angrily.

"You can't just go in there half-cocked!" Andros growled. "Not only could you get yourself killed, you could get Karone killed," Andros said as calmly as he could. Zhane took a couple heaving breaths, and finally saw that Andros was right in his thinking.

Andros moved towards a teleporter and Zhane let out a huff.

"If you're going, then so am I," he called.

"I need to do this alone. This is between the two of us. It's not something you need to get involved in," Andros replied. His sword appeared and he pulled it from its sheath. Dried blood stained the metallic surface.

"You're a part of this team. You need to rely on us," Zhane called.

"Not for this," Andros answered.

Aboard the Dark Fortress, Karone was trying to keep her distance from Celestra. Celestra let out a laugh at the Purple Ranger's attempts.

"Don't look so surprised," Celestra chirped.

"You're more stupid than you look. When the team realizes I'm missing they're going to hunt you down," Karone shot back.

"Oh I fully expect them to find you. But you shouldn't expect the calvary. In fact, I'd expect just one person," the other woman snickered.

"He's going to kill you," Karone spat.

"He'll try. But I'm willing to bet he wouldn't put his precious baby sister in danger," Celestra hissed, crossing the room in two strides. She grabbed Karone by the throat. Karone managed to look down. She spotted the bandage through her clothes and with as much energy as she could muster, she landed her knee squarely in Celestra's gut.

Celestra let out a painful grunt, but managed to keep a hold on Karone's throat. "But baby sister may try my patience if she doesn't behave," she growled, tossing Karone hard against the wall.

Karone collided with the wall with a hard 'whack' and slid to the floor. She groaned, trying to stand up. Celestra let out a pained laugh as Karone tried to claw her way up the wall.

"Tell me, do you really think he's good?" Celestra asked. Karone finally made it to her feet.

"He is good," Karone coughed.

"You really don't see it do you? He's acting," Celestra taunted.

"Shut up!" Karone shouted.

"You don't believe me? When I was eleven years old he kidnapped me and he raped me," Celestra said, her tone eerily calm.

"Just shut up!" Karone repeated.

"He tore my clothes off and he held me down and he raped me," Celestra continued, moving forward until she was nose to nose with Karone.

"Does that upset you? That he raped me," she hissed, emphasizing the second to last word. "He took so much pleasure out of it..." she purred lightly. "His act isn't going to hold up much longer..." she said as Karone reached out to try and let out a punch across her face. Celestra grabbed her wrist and twisted it painfully behind her back.

"He will rape you...little Miss Yellow Ranger, and kill the rest of your team. You will be the last of your team," she breathed in her ear.

"No!" Karone yelled, trying to get away. Celestra back handed her across the face. Karone tried to fight back but it was no use. Even in her weakened condition, Celestra could still overpower her.

"Fight all you want. It won't help," Celestra purred.

Back on the Megaship, Andros prepared to board the Dark Fortress. Zhane just watched him go. As soon as he disappeared, Zhane grabbed an Astroblaster and followed. Andros appeared on the Dark Fortress, stepping cautiously so as not to attract attention. He didn't have time to deal with Quantrons. Not far behind him, Zhane appeared. He tried to stay out of sight. He knew Andros wouldn't be happy that he tagged along. Up ahead, Andros grabbed a guard.

"Where is Celestra," he hissed, his sword pressed against the creature's throat.

"I-in there," it rasped, pointing down a corridor. Andros let the thing go and sprinted in that direction. He could hear voices behind the thick metal door. Zhane stealthily followed Andros, avoiding the guard. Andros couldn't just expect him to stay behind. The girl he loved was in danger...

Andros busted down the door, and saw that Celestra was doing something to Karone. "Demios...nice of you to show up..." Celestra called over her shoulder. Karone was cringing in fear.

"Let her go," Andros growled, "you want to fight me, not my little sister,"

Celestra spun around, producing her sword in the same motion, holding it at a diagonal against Karone's chest and throat.

"But why not destroy the both of you. It would make things so much easier," she laughed, allowing Andros to enter the room. They began circling each other. Celestra made sure to keep Karone in front of her.

"Just let her go and you and I can settle this once and for all," Andros called as calmly as he could. He could read the fear in Karone's eyes.

"You think you can trick me, Demios?" Celestra snapped.

"You may fool all of them...convincing them you're good but you and I both know you don't have it in you," she continued.

"You're wrong. I'm not that guy anymore," Andros retorted.

"You see Demios I don't quite believe you," Celestra said, not seeming very phased by Andros' angry glare. "I mean you kind of proved you were still that guy when you tried to get me again..." she grinned wickedly. Karone had tears of fear falling down her face, and that angered Andros even more.

"No. You're just a special case, Celestra," Andros spat. Taking a step closer.

"You deserve whatever you get. How's that wound healing? Doesn't look like a very professional fix," he commented, going to make a strike. Celestra blocked him. The blades came perilously close to Karone's arm and she couldn't help but let out a shriek.

Trying to get Celestra to let go of Karone, "Hiding behind someone really isn't your style Celestra," Celestra grinned nonetheless.

"I am actually kind of having fun. It seems only right that your bratty little sister sees how terrible you really are," she said lightly parrying as Andros tried to strike her again. "I would be careful Demios...wouldn't want to accidentally stab your sister," Celestra taunted, as his blade had come dangerously close to Karone again.

"Let go of her," Andros growled, but she didn't let up. Andros let out a kick and Celestra barely dodged it. While in mid parry, Andros managed to strike Celestra's wrist letting her grip on Karone slip. He attempted to pull him to her, but Celestra wasn't about to give up his sister that easily.

Celestra pulled back hard. Karone could feel something in her shoulder snap painfully. She let out a grimace as Celestra dragged her back.

"I see what you're doing and it's not going to work," Andros snarled, swinging his sword a couple times like a baton. Karone watched the blade and couldn't keep the memories from flooding back. She saw him murdering her friends. Hot tears of fear and anger streamed down her face as the sound of metal on metal brought her back to the present.

"So now you're a mind reader?" Celestra taunted.

"No, but I now how you think. You think just because you're using her as a human shield, I won't strike," Andros replied.

"And here you are, cautious as a little child," she sneered.

"I don't think so," Andros growled, making several quick strikes. Karone had squeezed her eyes shut, and was expecting to pain to come claim her. All she felt was the painful twinge in her shoulder, she opened up her eyes. Celestra had been thrown back. Zhane was watching all of this, waiting for the right moment to sweep in and get Karone out of there. Celestra's new wounds caught up with her exhaustion and she was now leaning heavily on her sword.

"Why don't you finish the job?" she coughed, spitting out some blood. Andros ignored her, and tried to tend to his little sister. Karone shirked away from him, and he saw the same look she had given him when he had murdered her friends. Anger and fear were playing out in her eyes, and Andros felt crestfallen. "May have won the battle, but you lost the war," she said, an evil smile placed on her face.

Zhane took the opportunity to sneak in. Karone saw him and he placed a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. She felt tears of relief flowing down her face, and Zhane saw that her arm looked dislocated. He had made it over to Karone without Andros or Celestra noticing. Andros felt an unyielding anger take over and he went over to Celestra preparing to decapitate her...but he stopped. He wasn't going to prove Celestra right. He pulled away, and wiped the blade on his pants making it once again clean. He turned around and saw that Zhane had followed him here. Ignoring that, he tried once again to console his scared little sister. "Andros look out!" Zhane shouted. Celestra had charged for him once again, and Andros let out a vicious kick to her abdomen, and as she fell her sword slipped from her hand, and had impaled her.

Andros looked at her lying the floor. Her eyes were wide in shock. She managed to look down at the weapon protruding from her stomach. She tried to make her hands move, to pull it out but they would not function. Andros bent down at her side. He leaned in close, his lips barely a centimeter from her ear.

"You're not as invincible as you thought," he breathed. She struggled, gasping for breath.

"But I guess that means, neither am I," he added, reaching down to take her hand in his. He squeezed it tightly.

"We could have had something if things were different," he breathed, kissing her cheek as she breathed her last breath. With his free hand he brushed it over her eyes, closing them. He pulled the sword out of her stomach, cleaning it off and sliding it back into its sheath.

Zhane held Karone tightly and watched as Andros picked up Celestra's body and took a step towards them.

"What are you doing?" Zhane asked, feeling Karone trying to move away from Andros.

"I'm not just going to leave her here. She may have been my enemy but she doesn't deserve to just lie here," he muttered and disappeared. He reappeared in a deserted expanse of grass. He raised his hand and shoot of electricity shot out, a ditch appearing in the ground. He laid her body in it and he brushed a lock of hair from her face before closing it up.

When he got back to the Megaship, he saw Zhane escorting Karone to the Infirmary.

"Zhane," he called. Zhane looked over his shoulder and whispered something to Karone. She walked into the Infirmary, leaving Zhane and Andros alone in the hallway.

"I told you not to follow me," Andros said.

"Yeah, well it saved your life," Zhane replied.

"Thanks for not listening to me," Andros said.

"Sure," Zhane mumbled. They stood in silence for a minute.

"Where'd you take her?" he asked.

"Home. After everything I put her through, I figured it was the least I could do for her," Andros replied. Zhane nodded his head numbly, and his eyes kept drifting towards the infirmary. "How is she doing?" Andros asked in a soft voice. Zhane turned his gaze back to Andros, and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"She's ok...might have to wear a cast for a couple days..." Zhane explained quickly. Andros looked towards the infirmary, and sighed. He knew that Karone didn't want to see him. Zhane looked at the other man's face and saw sadness etched into his features. He hadn't seen a look like that since Kale and Iris weren't speaking. "Karone will come around...give her some time," Zhane assured his friend. Yeah, Zhane thought, they were friends.

"Thanks...I really want to go there, but I don't want to scare her...just let her know that I am hoping she

gets better soon," Andros murmured, turning around. Zhane watched as he saw Andros leave. He wasn't going to press Karone in her current state. Zhane walked back into the infirmary, and saw Karone's arm in a sling. Karone didn't say anything; she just looked up at Zhane.

"Hey," Zhane whispered. Karone hopped off the bed, and embraced Zhane as tightly as she could without hurting her arm. "I got you...I got you," Zhane whispered rubbing her back with his hands as he felt tears hitting his shirt.

"Zhane..." Karone whimpered. "I was so scared..."

"I got you babe," he murmured into her hair. "You're safe now," Karone tried to just focus on Zhane's voice, and slowly she calmed down a little. "C'mon," he whispered, putting his hand on her waist. "Lets go get you something to eat..." she shook her head. She didn't want to leave his embrace.

Karone buried her head into his shoulder, refusing to let Zhane get her out of there. "Karone..." Zhane whispered. She hadn't been like this in a while, and Zhane was starting to get worried. "Karone, you know that I love you. I am not going to let anyone hurt you," Karone nodded her head, but kept her face buried in his shoulder. "Karone...it has been a while since you had something to eat..."

"I know," Karone whispered. "Zhane...I love you too," Karone murmured. Zhane pulled away slightly, and brushed his hand lovingly over her cheek. She was really hungry, but she was still afraid. Karone had briefly seen Demios in Andros' eyes.

"He isn't Demios anymore you know?" Zhane whispered softly. Karone stiffened in his embrace, "He said he hopes you get better soon..." Karone once again relaxed, and he kissed her softly on the lips.

"When he was fighting Celestra...he looked so much like his old self...he really really scared me," Karone whimpered. Zhane brushed away the tears that were starting to flow from her eyes again. "Thank you Zhane," Karone breathed.

Zhane grinned at her, and was glad to see her smile back finally. "Now come on...you need to get something to eat," he said firmly.

"But-," Karone started. Zhane silenced her by placing his lips lightly on hers.

"No buts...you aren't going to get any better if you don't get some food in your system," Zhane pointed out. Karone nodded her head in defeat and let Zhane take her by her good elbow towards the kitchen.

"You aren't going to force feed me are you?" Karone joked lightly. Zhane laughed, and brushed his lips against her forehead.

"No..." Zhane assured her. Karone felt Zhane's hand go to the small of her back.

"If we run into Andros..." Karone murmured softly.

"He will leave you alone. Karone, he is waiting for you to come find him. He knows that until you try to forgive him for what he did he has to wait for you; he is willing to wait for you," Karone nodded her head; this was the Andros she knew. This is the Andros that didn't kill her friends, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to accept him back into his heart. She was just scared. They finally arrived at the kitchen, and Zhane sat her down at one of the tables. "What are you in the mood for?" he questioned. She shrugged her shoulders, and Zhane frowned at her. "Something I said?" he asked softly.

"No...Ashley has been wanting me to try pancakes for a long time," Karone whispered. Zhane grinned and went to the synthesizer. Zhane made a huge stack of pancakes, and Karone's eyes widened.

"Zhane...that is way too much," she murmured.

"They aren't only for you," Zhane said with a smirk, and he sat down next to her. They started to dig into the pancakes.

"You know..." Ashley's voice rang out. Zhane and Karone turned their collective gazes and saw Ashley walking into the room. "Those taste really good with maple syrup," She synthesized some really quick, and offered it Karone and Zhane.

"Thanks Ash," Zhane said with a smile.

"You doing ok?" Ashley asked Karone. They had been getting closer, and Karone was glad. Ashley was the first real girlfriend Karone had since Iris, and she was glad for it.

"Just a little sore..." Karone said.

"So..." Karone said, deciding to change the subject, "have you talked with Cassie and the others?" Ashley sighed, and shook her head.

"No..." Ashley sighed. "I want to, but its just...every time I try to talk to them..I am afraid we would end up fighting," Ashley said with unshed tears in her eyes.

"Ashley...the sooner you talk with them, the sooner you guys will be friends again," Zhane said to her. Ashley nodded her head, and Zhane put a brotherly hand over Ashley's. "Just you wait," he assured her with a smile.

"Thanks Zhane..." Ashley said.

"No prob," he said with a light smirk, and he pulled his hand away.

"You want any?" Karone offered the small portion of what was left of the pancakes, "Zhane made too much,"

"Hey!" Zhane protested, "How do you know I am not going to eat those," he joked lightly. He turned to Ashley, "Go ahead and have them if you want," Zhane murmured.

"Nah...I'm ok," Ashley said. "Thanks for the advice," Ashley said standing up. "Get better soon Karone," Ashley said with a smile. Karone stood up and gave Ashley a quick hug.

"Thanks..." Karone said, and she sat back down next to Zhane. Karone leaned her head onto Zhane's neck, and closed her eyes. Zhane ran his hand softly up and down her back.

"Karone...hun," Zhane murmured into her hair. "If you go to sleep, I might hurt you carrying you back to bed," Zhane whispered. Karone frowned, and didn't listen to him, snuggling closer to him. Being as gentle as he could, he transferred her fully on to his lap. He slowly pulled Karone into his arms fully, and slowly headed for their room.

"Zhane," she murmured softly.

"Yeah?" he asked in a quiet voice as they entered their room.

"Stay with me?" Karone asked, and Zhane nodded his head as he gently placed her on top of their bed. Zhane laid down next to her, and knowing Zhane was there, she promptly went to sleep. Brushing her hair from her face, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He pulled out a book, and started to read, not wanting to break his promise to Karone.

On the other side of the ship, Andros sat in his room just staring out the window. He needed time to process this. He was admittedly shaken by the whole thing. Of course it was inevitable that either he or Celestra would die as a result of this. He just never thought it would be so soon. It didn't feel real. He didn't hear the door open and Ashley walk in.

"Hi," she said softly. Despite the volume of her voice, he jumped.

"Ashley," he said, looking at her.

"Didn't mean to startle you," she apologized, sitting next to him. Andros turned his gaze back to the window. He felt Ashley's hand go on to one of his, and he gave it a squeeze. "You doing ok?" Ashley asked as he continued to gaze out at the window. Andros didn't answer her, and Ashley gave Andros a worried glance, and squeezed his hand, "Andros?"


	31. Chapter 31

Ashley waited a minute but Andros still didn't reply. She saw the distant look in his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Please talk to me," she whispered, leaning her chin on his shoulder. He slowly turned to look at her.

"It's happening again ," he murmured.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She hadn't heard much about what happened, except that Karone had been kidnapped.

"Celestra kidnapped Karone..." Andros began. Ashley nodded.

"And I...I felt it...that desire to kill. And I was barely able to stop myself. Turns out it didn't matter. She fell on her own sword," Andros said angrily.

"She's dead?" Ashley gasped. Andros nodded.

"That's great," she exclaimed.

"No, Ash, it's not. It wasn't supposed to end this way," he shot, making her pull away.

"I feel...like part of me is gone." Ashley frowned at that note.

"I don't understand..." Ashley murmured.

"I don't really know either," Andros admitted. "I thought that once she was gone, it would be one less thing to worry about...but..."

"I guess we were a part of each other for so long...that...it's hard to realize that I'm never going to see her again...that in a way...we had some kind of connection," he said slowly.

"Are you saying...you cared about her?" Ashley asked.

"Maybe...I don't know. I buried her. I couldn't just leave here there," he continued. Ashley nodded her head, but couldn't help but feel a little weird. She was trying to be understanding for Andros' sake, but it was hard for her to do.

"Thats..." Ashley tried to find the right word, "good," she murmured, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"I wish this made sense," he muttered.

"You hated her, Andros. It's just...strange that you'd all of a sudden care about her," she retorted.

"I was just trying to show her some respect. The respect I never showed her while she was alive," he said. Ashley nodded her head in understanding, and stood up to leave Andros alone. "Ash..." Andros murmured. She stopped, and saw that Andros had stood up. "Don't leave..." Andros pleaded, lightly placing a hand on her elbow. Ashley leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry Andros," Ashley whispered. He leaned his head into her neck, and she rubbed his back lightly. She brushed her lips on his head. "I'm here for you Andros," Ashley whispered as he tightened his hold on her. As Ashley continued to hold him, Andros lightly kissed her on the neck.

He lifted his head, and started to pull away. "Andros...it is ok to show your emotions...you can show them around me," she assured him. Andros gripped her tightly once again, and finally for the first time in years, Andros felt tears slipping down his cheeks. "There we go..." Ashley consoled, "just let it out," After what seemed like forever to Andros, he finally stopped crying. Ashley wiped the last few stray tears that were left on his face.

"Thanks Ash..." Andros breathed, running his hand softly through her hair. He pressed his lips against hers, and brought his hand behind her neck deepening the kiss. "I love you Ashley," he whispered, running his hand lovingly through her hair.

"Love you too," Ashley murmured. Andros grasped her hand, and rubbed it gently with his own. "You doing ok?" she asked him. He felt a little weird still, but he was doing ok. He nodded his head, and smiled lightly.

"I'll be ok..." he breathed, running a hand through his own hair. "Be better once Karone is heals up,"

"Andros...that wasn't your fault she got hurt," Ashley said to him.

"But its my fault that I scared her," Andros whispered, "she looked at me like...like when I killed the Astro Rangers..." Ashley gave him a tight squeeze, and he sighed.

"She'll come around," Ashley assured him.

"I know," he murmured.

"I take it you haven't talked to the others?" he pressed, changing the subject. She hung her head.

"I'll make you a deal," he offered.

"Ok," she murmured.

"You talk to them, make things right...and I'll stop moping around so much," he said.

"Deal," she agreed. "But what if-,"

"Ashley...you won't know unless you try," Andros said, caressing her cheek lightly. "Now go make up with them," Andros whispered pressing his lips lightly on top of hers.

"What about you?" Ashley asked in a soft voice.

"I'll be here...but don't worry about me," Andros said. "I want you to go have fun ok?" Ashley nodded her head, and giving him another quick kiss before reluctantly going out of his room.

Meanwhile TJ was getting the rest of the team together. He knew that Zhane and Karone were in their room, and he also knew that they were resting. TJ had wanted to plan something to bring the team back together. For a while now, things had been horribly tense between the whole team. TJ walked towards Carlos' room, and knocked on his door. "Hey Teej," Carlos said opening his door. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Well...I was thinking that we could all get together and just hang out like we used to..." TJ said.

"Sounds good," Carlos replied, "so what did ya have in mind?" he asked, as they walked towards Cassie's room.

"I dunno," TJ admitted. "Maybe we could just shoot some hoops," Carlos shrugged his shoulders, and opened up Cassie's door.

"Hey guys, what's up?" she asked, as she finished tying her hair back.

"Well we were thinking about shooting some hoops," TJ said, and Cassie smiled.

"Sure," Cassie said, jumping off the chair she was sitting on. Carlos smiled at her enthusiasm, but at another glance he saw she looked sad about something. He offered his arm, and Cassie leaned into him. TJ saw that they needed a minute, so he went to go look for Ashley.

"You doing ok?" Carlos asked as his arm draped over her shoulders. Cassie nodded her head, but he didn't believe her. "Cass..." he murmured, lightly placing a couple fingers under her chin to bring her gaze back up to his. "You don't think I am using you as the rebound girl are you?" he questioned softly. Cassie didn't say anything. He placed his lips softly on hers, and pulled away. "I'm not Cass," he whispered, "I would never ever do that to you..." Cassie could help but believe him, and smiled.

"Thanks," Cassie breathed.

"Have...you and Ashley been talking at all?" Carlos asked, not leaving her embrace. Cassie sadly shook her head. Carlos brought Cassie fully to him, and rubbed her back.

"I feel like I am losing my best friend," Cassie whimpered. Carlos squeezed her tightly, and she felt herself calm down a little bit. He knew the feeling; ever since he told Ashley about his crush on her she stopped talking to him. Because of that though...he was able to see that he did have feelings for Cassie. He kissed the top of her head softly, and pulled away slightly.

"Ashley will come around," Carlos whispered, brushing a lock of hair from her eyes. "Lets go see if TJ convinced Ashley to come hang out with us," Carlos led her towards the door, and opened it, and jumped in surprise when he saw Ashley there about to knock.

Ashley looked nervous, "Hey guys," she murmured.

"Hey Ash," Cassie said reluctantly. It was awkward, and Ashley sighed.

"It looks like you guys are busy," Ashley said, not sure if talking to them was a good idea anymore.

"Wait Ash," they both said at the same time, and she stopped in her tracks.

"Come hang out with us," Cassie said, stopping her from going.

"We miss hanging out with you," Carlos added.

"I have missed hanging out too," Ashley said in a small voice. "I thought you guys hated me," Ashley said, having her head hang down.

"Why would we hate you Ash?" Cassie asked in a soft voice. "You are my best friend," Cassie pulled away from Carlos, and embraced her friend in a hug. Ashley smiled, glad that her best friend didn't hate her.

"We are just worried about you," Carlos told her.

"I'm fine guys," Ashley assured them. "Really...I'm ok," Ashley said, putting a hand on her friends shoulders.

"Lets go get TJ," Cassie said, and Ashley smiled, but it seemed to be forced. "Ashley...did you want to go get Andros?" she asked in a small voice. Carlos stiffened in her embrace, but it was disarmed when Ashley shook her head.

"Guys...I will be just as happy without Andros," Ashley said, "Lets go get Teej, and we can get outta here," Ashley said, taking them by the arms and dragging them out of her room.


	32. Chapter 32

_Thank you Rah for helping with the Andros angst :D_

Karone stirred as she slept, and Zhane looked up from his book. Karone turned over to Zhane and murmured something incoherently. Zhane let out a small chuckle, and Karone opened her eyes. Guilt clouded his features as her eyes opened up a little more. "Hey you," he murmured. "I didn't mean to wake you up..."

"Its ok," Karone murmured, grasping his hand in hers.

"You can go back to sleep if you want to," Zhane murmured, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. Karone shook her head, and got into a sitting position. Zhane smiled, and wrapped an arm around her, and pressed his lips against her cheek. Karone still seemed nervous about what had happened, and Zhane put his book down. "Did...you want to talk about it?" he questioned after a moment. Karone didn't need any further explanation of what Zhane was suggesting, but she did know that there was no way in hell that she was willing to talk.

She shook her head, and Zhane frowned seeing her so down. "Karone, please. You can't bottle this up. You need to talk about it," he pressed.

"I don't want to," she answered, pulling her knees to her chest. She winced as her shoulder throbbed with pain.

"Karone...you know that you can talk to me," he decided to press this issue more.

"Zhane I said I didn't want to," Karone shot at him, painfully shrugging his arm off. Zhane sighed, and turned to face her fully.

"Karone..." Zhane said putting his hands on her knees. "You know you can talk with me. I have been there for you since we were kids..."

"And I appreciate it," Karone said, "but I-,"

"Karone, hun," he murmured interrupting her. "Please...I'm just trying to help you," Karone looked solemnly at him, and reached her hand out for his once again. Zhane grabbed her hand, and rubbed the top of her knuckles.

"I don't even know what to say Zhane," Karone murmured. "I know I am not scared of Andros, but I am terrified of Demios...and seeing his face like that..." Karone whimpered, and Zhane once again gathered her in his arms. "He looked just like he did when he was killing our friends," Karone started to sob, and she buried her head into his neck.

"I'm sorry," Zhane said to her, being careful not to apply too much pressure on her hurt shoulder. "I didn't mean to remind you of that,"

"Its ok," Karone murmured, nuzzling his neck. He kissed the top of her head, and felt her smile against his neck.

"Feeling a little better?" he asked in a soft voice. Karone nodded her head, and Zhane rubbed her good arm. "Told you that talking would help," Karone slapped his arm lightly, and squeezed him once again.

Deciding to change the subject, "How long was I out for?" she questioned.

"Only about an hour," Zhane murmured. "Ashley, Carlos, Cassie, and TJ are on Earth...did you want to hang out with them?"

"No..." Karone said after a moment. "I'm a little sore," she added. Karone thought for a moment, "Did you want to go with them?" she asked.

"Karone..." Zhane started.

"Did you want to go hang out?" Karone questioned.

"I'd rather be with you," he whispered in her hair, and she sighed. He heard her stomach rumble, and laughed lightly. "Hungry?" he questioned.

"Yeah..." she murmured, and he helped her get off the bed. "Zhane...what if we run into Andros?" she asked in a scared voice.

"I'm not excusing what he did as Demios Karone," Zhane whispered, "but he is back to being Andros. You saw he had the perfect opportunity to kill Celestra...but he didn't," Karone stayed silent, "But whatever you want to do," Zhane brought his hands up to her face, "I will support your decision,"

"Thanks Zhane," Karone whispered, as he brushed his lips against hers. "Love ya," she whispered.

"I love you too," Zhane murmured. His stomach growled as well, and he offered his arm for her to take. Karone looped her good arm through his, and they headed towards the kitchen. Karone stiffened in Zhane's embrace as she saw that Andros was in there.

"Zhane..." Karone said, jerking out of his light hold on her. She bumped into a wall, and let out a grunt of pain. Andros turned around, and when he saw Karone he had a look of worry, and reluctance on his face. She backed away from him, and saw a look of hurt cross his features. Visibly seeing the tension between the siblings, Zhane blocked Andros from Karone's view.

"Don't worry," Andros said in a hurt voice, "I'll get out of your sight," and started for the exit. Karone looked at her older brother; there was no trace of Demios in his voice, walk, or face.

"Andros..." Karone said, reluctantly grabbing his arm. Andros stiffened, not really sure what he should do.

"Yes?" Andros managed to get out. Zhane was near Karone, making sure that if he needed to pull her out of the way he could. Andros had the deer caught in the headlights look on his face. Zhane felt bad for his friend, not even beginning to imagine how hard this was for him right now. "Karone-,"

"Andros..." Karone started again, trying to calm her fears down. "I...I," Karone remembered that actions always spoke louder for her. Karone reluctantly pulled Andros into a hug, and felt him wrap his arms around her. Karone telepathically assured Zhane she was going to be ok. Zhane nodded his head, and started to get some lunch ready. Andros was really worried that Karone was still afraid of him, and managed to control the urge to ask if she was. He just tightened his arms around his sister, and rested his chin on top of her head.

"I'm so sorry that I scared you," Andros breathed, squeezing her tightly against him. Karone let out a grunt of pain, and Andros pulled away. "Karone...I'm sorry," he whispered immediately pulling away.

"Andros...don't leave..." Karone pleaded before she could stop herself. Andros reluctantly wrapped his arms lightly around her, and felt her squeeze back.

"I really didn't mean to scare you Karone," he whispered. "All I could think about was the fact that Celestra had kidnapped you...and all those things that she could have done to you..." Andros started to ramble in a scared voice. "I'm just glad that me and Zhane got there in time," Andros breathed. Karone couldn't believe how much Andros sounded like Kale. Karone put her hand up to stop Andros from ranting more.

"Andros...you have more than proven yourself that you have changed...so much," Karone murmured. Andros was about to open his mouth to say that he would never be exactly the same as he was, but Karone shook her head. "You are my brother, that is it," Karone whispered, kissing him on the cheek. Andros let a small smile come onto his face, and he brought her close once again, making sure to not hurt her shoulder.

"Karone..." Andros murmured into her hair. "I love you my baby sister," he pressed his lips on top of her head, and felt Karone bury her head in his chest.

"Love you too big brother," Karone whispered.

"Do you want me to leave you guys alone?" Zhane asked after a moment.

"No...no," Karone murmured. Andros looked like he was about to leave, but Karone grabbed his arm. "Stay with us," Karone said. Zhane nodded his head, and set a couple plates down on the table.

"You sure you guys don't mind?" Andros asked in a reluctant voice.

"Pull up a chair," Zhane said, and Andros sat down sitting opposite of Karone. "Andros...really it is ok," Zhane assured Andros. Karone leaned into Zhane, and then looked at Andros.

"Are you..." Karone started, "holding up ok?" Andros didn't know what to say; he didn't want to make Karone angry at him after getting her to forgive him once again. When Andros didn't answer, Karone frowned lightly. "Andros," Karone prodded gently.

"I'm ok," Andros tried to assure his little sister. Andros took a bite of the sandwich that Zhane made, and avoided Karone's gaze. Karone looked at Andros, and she put her hand over her brother's. "I'll be fine once you fully recover," Andros said with a small smile.

"Andros...it isn't your fault that I got hurt," Karone murmured softly. Zhane's hand went down on her knee, and he squeezed it gently. Andros finally turned his gaze back to his little sister's and squeezed her hand. "I don't blame you for this,"

Zhane pressed his lips to Karone's cheeks, and pulled away. "I am going to leave you guys alone for a bit...maybe go see how the others are doing on Earth," Karone opened her mouth to object, but he shook his head. His lips brushed her ear, "Just make up with your brother," he murmured. Karone nodded her head, and Zhane got up.

Andros looked confused, "What's going on?"

"Zhane thought we needed some alone time,"Karone murmured, "sort through stuff," Karone sighed. Andros looked reluctant to be in the same room with his little sister still. He kept seeing Karone's horrified face, and didn't notice that Karone moved. "Andros..." she said, putting a hand his shoulder.

"Karone..." Andros murmured back..

"Its ok..." Karone tried to assure him, but wasn't so sure herself.

"What if it happens again? I..." Andros stammered, feeling tears enter his eyes. "I don't know what would have done if I lost you too," Andros brought his gaze down. "I almost did..."

"But you didn't," Karone whispered, leaning into him. "I'm sorry,"

"What?" Andros asked flabbergasted, "Karone, you didn't do anything wrong,"

"I made you think I hated you," Karone murmured. Andros held his little sister against him, wishing he knew how to make everything better again. He stroked her hair for a moment or two, lost in thought. Why did everything end up being so damn complicated? Silently, she looked up at him, taking note of the far-away look in his eyes.

"Andros...what's wrong?" she asked softly He shifted so that he was looking at her.

"Nothing," he mumbled.

"No...it's something. What is it?" she pressed.

"It's just...it wasn't supposed to end like this...she wasn't supposed to die that way," he sighed.

"Who? Celestra?" she asked and he nodded.

"Why not?"

"Because...whether I like it or not, she and I were a part of each other and...with her gone...I feel like a part of me is missing...a part that I can't ever fill again," he admitted. He knew this was dangerous territory. He'd seen the way Ashley had reacted to it earlier.

Karone looked up at her older brother, but didn't say anything. "Forget I said anything," Andros murmured, not wanting Karone angered with him.

"Because...beacuase of what you did to her?" she finally stammered.

"I...I don't know...maybe. I just never thought it would actually get to the point where one of us would actually have to kill the other," he muttered. Karone frowned, and Andros could tell how uncomfortable she was feeling. "Karone...I don't think-,"

"Its ok," Karone breathed, "I'm ok with talking still...unless you don't want to," Karone murmured. "Wish I knew how to make you feel better Andros,"

"I don't understand why you are being so understanding," Andros sighed, "she kidnapped you. I should be happy that she is gone,"

"Its ok to feel that way Andros," Karone murmured.

"You are one of the only people who thinks that way," he replied. Karone sighed, and leaned into him. "You're making me feel better," he informed her. Karone smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. They stayed in a comfortable silence for a while. Andros once again started to stroke her hair, and she felt herself getting drowsy. She shook herself awake, and looked up at her brother again.

Karone sighed; then a thought came to her. "Andros...do you know where our parents are?" Karone blurted. Andros stiffened when she asked that. "Its ok if you don't,"Karone whispered in a deflated voice.

"I wish I did..." Andros whispered, "otherwise I woulda saved them by now,"

"Maybe...we can look for them?" Karone asked in a hopeful voice. Andros shook his head firmly. "Andros..." she pouted. Andros thought for a moment. He didn't want to get Karone's hopes up that they might be alive still, but seeing her this depressed..

"We will have to wait until you got better," Andros murmured. He felt Karone smile against his neck. He looked down, and saw the tired look on her face. He frowned lightly, and helped her to her feet.

"Andros...I don't want to go back to bed," Karone murmured.

"You aren't going to get better until you relax," Andros murmured, trying to convince her to go back to bed.

"I am relaxed," Karone breathed. Andros shook his head, and grabbed Karone's plate.

"Well...you are going to go to bed..." Andros tried to be firm with his little sister. Karone pouted, but Andros didn't back down. As he gently lead her to her room, Andros noticed she had a scared look on her face.

"Andros...can you stay here?" Karone murmured.

"Yeah..." Andros sat Karone down, and she stared solemnly at the window next to her. "Karone...are you ok?"

"I guess I shouldn't have asked about our parents...just haven't thought about them in a while..." Karone admitted. "Do you think they are alive still?" Karone asked, and Andros had a deep frown on his face.

"I don't know sis," he murmured, "I hope so..."

"Thanks...I just hope we find them one day," Karone murmured. Andros nodded his head, and saw Karone's head drooping. "Andros...before you rescued me...she mentioned something about another...school," Andros stiffened once again. Not even Celestra could have found the resources for building up another school...could she?

"I'm not going to let that happen," Andros murmured. "You are never going to have to go through that..." Andros promised. Karone nodded her head, but still couldn't help but feel scared. "I promise," Karone gently leaned into her brother's comfortable embrace. Karone felt herself drowsing off, "Go back to sleep Karone,"

"You...aren't going to leave are you?" Karone yawned.

"No, I'll stay right here," Andros murmured, pulling the sheet over Karone again. "I'm not going to leave," he said, bringing her closer. Karone yawned, and heard Andros' breathing become lighter. She snuggled into him, and closed her eyes. Andros finally saw Karone go to sleep, and when he tried to get into a more comfortable position, she tightened her hold onto him. Andros sighed; if Zhane came back, he could always just wake him up.


	33. Chapter 33

The other Astro Rangers appeared on Earth, and Ashley still felt a little out of place. "Ash, come on," Cassie called out, grabbing her arm. Cassie dragged Ashley to the old basketball court they had played on when they were Turbo Rangers. Ashley nervously laughed as Cassie dragged her along, following Carlos and TJ.

"Come on you guys!" Carlos bellowed. Cassie giggled, and once again forced Ashley to come along.

"How about a game of two on two?" TJ asked as he began dribbling the basketball he brought. Ashley could tell that Cassie wouldn't at all mind being on a team with Carlos so, she jogged over and joined TJ. "Alright, me and you versus Carlos and Cassie," TJ said with a grin on his face. "You two better not flirt the whole entire time we play," TJ groused.

Cassie rolled her eyes at him, but nonetheless moved away from Carlos a bit. They started up playing and after a few rounds, Cassie and Carlos won the game. "And you thought we would lose," Carlos teased TJ, as he wrapped his arm around Cassie. Cassie leaned into him, trying to catch her breath.

"We almost got them," Ashley said, patting TJ on his shoulder. TJ smiled; he finally felt like they were becoming friends again.

"How about we go grab some burgers at the Surf Shack?" TJ questioned, wiping his head with the back of his hand.

"Sounds good to me," Carlos said, running his hand up and down Cassie's sweaty shoulder. She smiled, and nodded her head. Suddenly a red light came down and formed into Zhane. "Hey," he said to them.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked.

"Nothing," Zhane murmured. "You don't mind if I come and hang out do you?"

"Of course not," TJ said to him, "We were just going to head to the Surf Shack," Zhane nodded his head, and managed a smile. They walked over towards the burger joint, and Zhane felt Ashley put a hand on his shoulder.

"You doing ok?" Ashley asked as they started to fall behind the rest of the group.

"I'm fine," Zhane said in a distracted voice.

"You don't seem fine," Ashley noted.

Cassie noticed that they were falling behind, and told Carlos and TJ, "I'm going to go see what's holding them up," Carlos reluctantly let Cassie pull away, and he and TJ went into the Surf Shack. "Guys...whats the hold-up?"

"Nothing, lets go meet up with the others," Zhane said, heading into the Surf Shack. Ashley frowned; had something happened between him and Karone? Were Andros and Zhane bickering again?

"I'm worried about him," Ashley murmured.

"Maybe...if we all talk to him...he'll open up," Cassie suggested as they walked inside. Ashley nodded her head, and they caught up with the rest of the team. Carlos and TJ had noticed that something was bothering Zhane.

"Whats going on?" Carlos questioned, clapping Zhane on the shoulder.

"Its ok to tell us," TJ assured their friend. Cassie and Ashley also sat down next down to them. Zhane felt that he could tell them what he was worried about.

"I don't know...I'm just thinking that something bad is going to happen," Zhane murmured. "Not just to Karone...but to all of us,"

"Whatever it is Zhane," Cassie spoke up after a moment, "we will handle it like a team..."

"We got you covered," TJ said to Zhane. Zhane grinned at his friends, and felt better after talking with his friends. He should have tried connecting with them sooner; might have made the transition of his childhood friend's deaths a little easier. Seeing that Zhane was once again at ease, TJ called over Adele.

"Hey kids..." Adele said with a grin, it faltered a bit. "No Andros or Karone today?"

"No...Karone wasn't feeling too well, and Andros stayed home to take care of her," Zhane murmured; Ashley thought maybe that is why Zhane was also a little out of it.

"Well I hope she gets better," Adele said graciously. "Can I get you kids anything?"

"Some burgers," Ashley started, "Milkshakes, and a couple baskets of fries," Adele wrote the order down.

"Zhane honey, don't look so down," Adele said, "Karone will be ok...now get that frown off your face,"

"Thanks Adele," Zhane murmured, giving her a small smile.

"Order will be right up," she said, walking away. Zhane decided that he would push his worries down until they were back up on the Mega Ship, and just enjoy the downtime that they had at the moment. Adele brought their orders up and Zhane smiled at Adele.

"Thanks," he said, taking a basket of fries. "Thanks you guys, I think I really needed this,"

"Its cool," TJ said with a grin.

"Glad that we can help," Cassie said to Zhane. Ashley smiled at him, and Zhane was glad that he was finally opening up to his friends.

Meanwhile up on the Mega Ship, Andros woke up. He saw that Karone was cuddled next to him still, and he felt her tighten her good arm around him. Andros wanted to look around to see if there was any truth in Celestra telling Karone that there was another school. He looked down at his sister, and sighed. He shouldn't really try too hard to get her to unwrap her arms from him. When Zhane got back, he could stay with Karone, and then that would give Andros time to look for this new school.

"Andros," Karone yawned, and that snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hey," Andros murmured, looking down at her. "You should be sleeping," Andros said, brushing her blonde hair from her eyes.

"I'm not tired," she grumbled lightly. Andros let out a small chuckle, and she sighed.

"How long was I out for?" Karone asked, trying to crane over her brother's neck to look at the alarm clock.

"Only for an hour," Andros murmured, lightly restraining her.

"You stayed," Karone stated, a small smile on her face. Andros nodded his head, and Karone murmured, "I thought you would have left to go look for the school,"

"I promised I wouldn't leave," Andros said, and her smile grew bigger.

"Thanks," Karone murmured.

"Your welcome," Andros said with a real smile. "Couldn't let my little sister down,"

"You wouldn't," Karone murmured softly. Andros didn't answer her; just pressed his lips softly on her forehead. "Did...you and Zhane talk?" Karone asked. Andros nodded his head. "What'd he say?" Andros stiffened, and Karone looked up to him. "He didn't attack you did he?"

"No," Andros said, quickly jumping to his defense. "He apologized..."

"He did?" Karone asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah," Andros said to Karone. "He is really good for you," Andros murmured, with a smile on his face.

Karone grinned, "Thanks Andros," Karone said in soft voice. "Are...you and Ashley ok?" Karone asked reluctantly.

Andros frowned at that note, "I don't know," he admitted. "Just really worried since I told her...about Celestra,"

"Ashley isn't mad at you," Karone informed him.

"Really?" Andros asked in a soft voice. Karone nodded her head, and he smiled. "Thanks sis," he murmured. The door opened up and Zhane walked in.

"Hey.." Zhane said, "everything ok?"

"Yeah," Karone said, peeling herself away from Andros to greet Zhane with a hug.

"Yeah...did you have fun with the others?" Andros asked, also getting off Zhane's bed.

"I did," Zhane said, bringing Karone closer. "We brought some food back from the Surf Shack if you guys are hungry,"

"Sounds good to me," Andros said.

"We'll meet you there," Karone said, going up to her brother and pecking him on the cheek. "Thanks for taking care of me," Andros just nodded walking out of the room, and Zhane chuckled.

"Think you mighta embarrassed him a little," Zhane said with a smirk. Karone turned around and placed a kiss on his lips. Zhane tenderly brought her closer. She pulled away after a minute, "What was that for?" Zhane asked breathlessly.

"Just...just because," Karone said simply, snuggling into him.


	34. Chapter 34

Andros' eyes started to strain as he looked at the schematics of all the galaxies around where the school he was at years ago. He had no idea how long he had been looking for this new school, but he knew it had been a while. He wanted to be sure that there was no school; he wasn't going to let any of his friends go through what he did. He heard footsteps behind him, and he jerked around instinctively going for his sword. "Its just me," Ashley said, walking fully into the room.

"Sorry," Andros murmured. "Did I...scare you?" he asked hesitantly. He couldn't stand it if he did; he was trying so hard not to be Demios anymore, but it still came out every once in a while. Ashley shook her head.

"No..." she murmured. It was then that Andros finally noticed that Ashley was dressed up. Andros racked his brain; were they going out somewhere? "It seems like you forgot we were going out," Ashley noted. Andros was glad to see that Ashley didn't look angry, but he still felt bad.

"I'm so sorry Ash..." Andros apologized. "I didn't-,"

"Andros...really it is ok," Ashley murmured, a slightly sad look on her face. "You are going through a lot right now," Ashley said to him.

"It doesn't mean I should forgot about something we planned," Andros murmured in a soft voice. He stood up from his work, and walked over to her. As he moved towards her, Ashley saw what he was working on. Andros saw her looking, and shook his head. "I have been at it for hours..." and he winced when he said that. "Let me make it up to you," he looked at the clock, and then it Ashley. She widened her eyes in surprise.

"Right now?" she questioned. Andros nodded his head, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Whatcha got in mind?" she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Just give me a bit, and I will have the best dinner planned for us," Andros murmured, placing his lips on top of hers.

"There isn't any restaurants open at this hour..." she murmured, but was now really enticed by his offer.

"We don't need to go to one," Andros said, running his hand through her hair. Before she could ask what he meant by that, he gently tugged on her hand. Ashley followed Andros to the washroom, and he started up a bath that was in there. Ashley looked at him quizzically, and he smiled. He grabbed a bottle of bubble bath, and handed it to Ashley. "You are going to take a bath, while I go get some food ready," he murmured, pressing his lips against hers. "Sound good to you?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Ashley murmured, kissing him softly on the lips. She poured some of the mixture, and grinned as it bubbled up.

"Dinner will be done before you know it," Andros promised, and with a smile he walked out of the room. Ashley smiled, and stepped out of her clothes. She grabbed a hair tie, and pulled her hair back and out of the way. She stepped into the warm water, and sighed sinking into it.

Meanwhile Andros was in the kitchen, getting ready to cook a big thing for him and Ashley. "What are you doing Andros?" Andros jumped, and looked and saw Zhane coming in the kitchen.

"Making dinner for me and Ashley," Andros murmured. "What are you doing?" he questioned.

"Well I was going to grab a snack..." Zhane said, "but I think that I will just grab that real quick, and get back to Karone," Andros stopped after a moment.

"Is Karone doing ok?" Andros questioned.

Zhane looked confused for a moment, "Her arm is a little sore still, but she is fine," Andros looked relieved. "Well I won't keep you any longer than I need to...have a good night with Ash," he said with a wink, walking out of the kitchen. Not altogether sure what Zhane meant, Andros shook his head and continued cooking. Before he knew it, it was ready, and he went to go get Ashley. He walked towards the bathroom, and knocked on the door.

"Ashley..." Andros called out. The door opened up and he smiled seeing Ashley back in the silver colored dress. "Hey..." he murmured, offering his arm up to her. Ashley grinned and looped her arm through.

"It smells good," she thought aloud. Andros grinned, and brushed his lips against her cheek. He stopped her just before she opened the door; Andros stopped her. "What?" she questioned.

"Close your eyes," Andros commanded. Ashley smiled, and did as she was told. Andros placed his hand over her eyes, and opened the door. He put the hand he opened the door with on her shoulder, and gently guided her towards the table. He telekinetically pulled a chair back, "Sit down..." he murmured, and she did.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Ashley questioned. Andros laughed; she had sounded like a little girl on Christmas wanting to open her presents.

"Just another second," Andros promised, lighting a candle on the middle of the table. He placed a plate down in front of her, and he sighed. "Ok...you can open them,"

Ashley opened her eyes, and needed to blink a couple times to clear them. "Andros..." she squealed. "This is beautiful," Andros was extremely happy that Ashley was this excited about what he did. She shot out of her chair, and threw her arms around his neck, placing a firm kiss on his lips. Andros fell back a little bit, not expecting Ashley to react like that. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close. "I love you," she murmured.

"Love you," Andros murmured. She didn't pull away, she pressed her body closer to his. "Ash..." he tried to start, but she placed her lips back on his again. Andros' hand went up to her hair, and pulled on the hair tie letting her hair down. He knew that they shouldn't be doing this; he felt the urge to start controlling Ashley. He pulled away, and saw that the yellow ranger was gasping for breath. She pouted, "Andros..."

"Now, now," Andros murmured. "I spent all this time cooking..."

"It can be reheated..." Ashley murmured, her arms still holding him close to her. He placed his forehead against hers.

"Come on," he said, pulling her to the discarded chair. Ashley pouted, but didn't object to sitting down to eat.

"Got my hair all messed up for nothing," she joked, looking at the lasagna. Andros smirked at her, and looked at her until she took a bite. "Way better than what a restaurant would have served," she complimented. Andros felt a small blush come on to his face, and they eat in blissful silence. "Andros..."

"Yeah Ash?" he questioned, as he grabbed their plates.

"You seem to pull away...when we start kissing...am I doing something wrong?" she asked. Andros immediately turned around, to place his hands on her shoulders.

"No, not at all Ashley...you are doing absolutely nothing wrong," he assured her.

"Then what's wrong?" she breathed. Andros didn't know how to explain why he was so reluctant to push any further than they were. "I feel like..." Andros pressed his lips gently to hers, silencing her rant.

"Ash..." he said, tenderly placing his hand on her cheek. "It is my fault..." Ashley opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but he placed his lips on hers again. He decided to let Ashley in on his fear. "Ashley...with other girls I have been with...I controlled everything..." Andros said. "I don't want to feel that way with you...I don't want to think of you as an object. I just want it to be you and me," Andros brushed his lips whisper soft against her cheek.

"Andros..." Ashley whispered, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you...and I know that you would never treat me as an object..." Andros pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I still get those feelings..." Andros murmured. Ashley pressed her lips against his once again, and felt him hesitantly kiss back. "Ash...please..." she pulled away. "Lets get this cleaned up," Andros said distractedly. Ashley nodded, and helped him clean up. "Are you...are you mad at me?" he questioned after a moment. She shook her head vehemently, and turned around to blow out the candle.

"No..." Ashley assured him. She saw how tense he was still, and grabbed his hand. Andros let her lead him to her room, and him sit down on the bed. She started to unbutton his shirt, but his hands stopped her.

"Ashley...what are you doing?" he asked.

"Just let me show you," Ashley whispered in his ear. Andros nodded his head reluctantly, and let her undue his shirt. She had seen some of his scars before, but he didn't want to have her see all of his painful childhood. Ashley placed her hands on his shoulders, and slowly started to apply pressure on his tense muscles. Andros felt a little pain at first, but she tended special care to the areas with the heavy amount of scars. It felt so much more different when he had the girls at his harem rub his shoulders. Sure it felt sensual still, but he could feel that Ashley took special care while she was doing it.

"Mmmm," Andros managed to get out. "That feels good,"

"Lay down," Ashley murmured, and he did as he was told. She straddled his back, and started to move her hands lower. Ashley noticed that there were pink marks in the middle of his back. Her fingers lightly went over the three marks.

"Ash..." he murmured in a questioning tone. She made a slight hushing noise through her nose, and continued to work her magic. "Where did you learn how to do that?" he asked, a sleepy tone entering his voice.

"Before becoming a Power Ranger, I wanted to go into massage therapy, got some training for it," she said. Ashley soon got off of his back, and Andros turned around to enfold her in his arms. He pressed his lips against hers. "Your welcome," she murmured against his lips. Her hand rested on his sternum, lightly running her finger along the little bit of hair that was there.

"Ash...you really thought that-," Andros didn't need to explain any further. Ashley nodded her head, and he brought her fingers to his lips, lightly kissing them. "You are special to me," he murmured, "and when we do finally...consummate our love," he murmured, "I want it to be the right moment,"

Ashley nodded her head in understanding, and was glad that Andros was taking it slow with her. "I understand," she murmured against his lips. She kissed him again; and kicked off her shoes. Then she decided to lean her head on his chest. His hand went through her soft locks, and she saw how tired he was. Ashley snuggled into him, and he yawned lightly.

"Your massage almost knocked me out," he murmured. Ashley chuckled lightly, and grasped her hand in his.

"My massage didn't make you want to control me did it?" he shook his head, and smiled. "Then it is progress," she grinned.

"Thank you..." Andros murmured, kissing his girlfriend on the lips. "You set me free Ash..." Andros murmured, bringing her closer.

"I love you Andros..." she murmured as his eyes closed.

"Love you too Ashley," Andros murmured. Both of their breathing slowed, and they peacefully fell asleep.


	35. Chapter 35

Andros brought Ashley closer as he felt himself waking up from his sleep. He grinned when he saw the young woman in his arms still fast asleep. Her hand was placed on his chest still, and he reached up and grasped it. He felt her snuggle closer to him, and Andros smiled lightly. He kissed her softly on the lips, and saw her smile. "Hey," she murmured with her eyes still closed.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to wake you up," Andros breathed.

"S'ok," Ashley said, pressing her lips against his. Ashley's eyes traveled down to his naked chest and felt Andros stiffen. "Andros..." Ashley said.

"Yeah?" he questioned, still feeling a little embarrassed that Ashley was looking at his bare skin. Ashley ran her finger along one of his scars. It ran from the top of his right shoulder blade to his pec. He shivered softly.

"Sorry," Ashley murmured.

"Its ok," Andros said, "it felt good," he admitted.

"You know..." Ashley said, leaning her head against his, "Those scars make you look even sexier," Ashley murmured, and Andros chuckled lightly. He pressed her lips against his girlfriend's and brought her closer. "Andros..." she said.

"Yeah?" Andros asked.

"What were you doing yesterday?" she questioned in a soft voice. "I saw something about an institute...or school..." Andros stiffened once again, and Ashley tried to read what was on his face. Ashley placed a hand on his shoulder, and rubbed it soothingly.

"When...we rescued Karone," Andros started, "and she started to talk to me again, she said something about a school...and that Celestra was going to put her there when she was done killing all of us...just like what the school did to her family,"

Ashley looked at Andros and gently tapped her finger against his skin. She didn't know what to say. Things were starting to get better for them...couldn't they just get a break for once?

"Do you think Celestra was telling the truth?" Ashley murmured.

"I don't know...I want to believe she was just bluffing but...there's this part of me that thinks she could be right."

"So what do we do? I mean is there any way we can find it and shut it down?" Ashley asked.

"That's what I was trying to find out. But there is so much space out there to search...it could take months. And for all we know, they could have cloaked their location from scanners." Ashley frowned at that note.

"There isn't anyway to fix DECA's sensors so that it could scan for the school?" Ashley questioned. Andros shrugged his shoulders, and heaved a sigh.

"I honestly don't know. I mean...there is a chance they've just revived the old school...which I could find." He looked away from her. He didn't really want to venture back there but if it meant saving a generation from the torture and pain he'd suffered, then he would do it.

"Well, how about we get something to eat and then keep looking...together," Ashley offered, throwing off the covers. Andros smiled at her and climbed out of bed. He bent down to pick up his shirt, and put it on.

"Sounds good," Andros said to her, gently taking her hand in his own. Maybe once he got some food in his system, he would be able to find out if the school was built up again. Plus having Ashley there would probably help him too. "Ash...if the school is back...and we find it..I want you far away from there as possible..."

"Andros..." Ashley started to object.

"Ashley please," Andros said to her. "I don't want to expose you to what I had to go through," Andros murmured softly. He wrapped his arm around her, "Promise me you won't try to follow me while I take the school down,"

"We are a team Andros," Ashley whispered. "Plus I am not going to let you go by yourself. I don't want you to be alone for that," Ashley whispered. "You don't have to do this alone anymore," Ashley assured him. "Let us help you," Andros frowned, and felt Ashley run her fingers through his hair. Andros sighed, but he knew that Ashley nor the team would let up on him not being alone.

"Ok," Andros grumbled. Ashley laughed at his frown, and pecked his cheek.

"No more pouting," Ashley whispered against his cheek. Andros turned his head towards her face, and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you or the others," Andros murmured quietly against her lips. "Just promise me if we do find the school, and things go south, you and the others will leave," Ashley shook her head, and Andros sighed. "You are so stubborn," he grumbled. Ashley pressed her lips to his once again, and felt him reciprocate. She pulled away and he had a small smile on his face. "Come on," he said. "Lets go get something to eat," Andros murmured, feeling his stomach grumble. Ashley nodded and smiled.

Karone and Zhane were in the kitchen already eating some food. Karone looked up and smiled, "Morning," she called out to them. Andros pulled away from Ashley, and put a kiss on Karone's head.

"Morning baby sister," Andros said, grabbing two plates. Andros started to synthesize some food, and wrapped his arm around Ashley's waist. Karone was leaning against Zhane's body. Andros looked at how tired Karone was, "Karone...are you doing ok?" Andros questioned. Karone nodded her head, and felt\Zhane bring her closer to him.

"Karone..." Zhane murmured into her hair. "Are you sure you are ok?"

"Andros, Zhane, I am fine," she assured them. "I don't even have to wear the sling anymore," Karone stated. Andros smiled at his little sister, but still he did not quite believe her. "Really..." Zhane didn't seem to believe her either. "Stop worrying so much,"

The food that Andros had begun to synthesize had just finished, and Andros pulled away to grab the plates. He handed a plate to Ashley, and they began to eat. Karone looked towards Andros, and sighed. "Did you...did you find anything?" Karone questioned. Feeling Karone tense up with fear, Zhane's hands started to massage her shoulders.

"No...I am going to have to see if the old school got built back up again..." Andros siad.

"You mean we," Zhane stated. "We aren't going to let you go in alone,"

"None of the team will," Karone added shakily. Zhane squeezed her against him, and felt Karone relax once again.

"If it is still around, I don't really want any of you near it," Andros said. "If we are able to break through it's defenses, we can just teleport whatever prisoners are there...and just blow it up. I want to shield whatever I can from all of you," He felt Ashley grab his hand once again, soothingly rubbing his knuckles. He squeezed back appreciatively, and felt Ashley kiss him on the cheek.

"Well...we better get the rest of team together," Zhane said, the leader like aura coming around. Karone smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Andros just nodded his head; he would have preferred if he just went to the school. "Andros...it is better this way...with the whole team," Zhane tried to assure his friend. Nodding his head once again, he felt Ashley lean into him once again. Andros smiled; holding her smaller body against his own. "Come on hun," Zhane murmured, "lets go contact them," he said, gently prodding her up to her feet. Karone nodded her head, and headed towards the teleportation room.

As she and Zhane headed towards the room, Zhane couldn't help but feel worried about her. "Karone...if Andros does find the school...you can just stay here," Karone shook her head.

"I'd feel safer with you near," Karone murmured softly. Zhane smiled a small smile, brushing his lips against her own.

"I just hate to see you so scared..." Zhane said as he started to press the button to alert the other rangers to come back on board. Karone once again, buried her body deep into his. Zhane placed his hand on the small of her back, and ran his hand through her blonde hair. "I will always be here for you babe," he felt her smile against his shoulder.

"I know..." Karone breathed. "Thank you Zhane..." Karone murmured in a soft voice.

Flashes of Blue, Pink, and Black came into the room forming into the remaining rangers. "What's going on?" Carlos questioned.

"We might be able to find the school...that..." Karone shivered. Zhane pressed her body closer to his, and took over for her.

"We might be able to find the school...either the one that Andros was at, or this new one Celestra threatened to take Karone to..." Karone buried herself deeper into him. "So we are going to be here as backup-," Zhane said to the rest of the team. "Karone..." Zhane whispered into her hair.

"I'm ok," she said, pulling away slightly from Zhane.

Meanwhile Andros was looking into DECA's scanners and was able to tweak them a little bit. "You are doing great Andros," Ashley said to him. Andros grinned at his girlfriend, and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Thanks..." Andros said with a slight brush. "Hopefully DECA will be able to transmit if there is a school still," Ashley placed a hand on his shoulder. He reached up and grasped her hand. He started up a scan, and wrapped Ashley in his arms again. "If...we find anything I really do not want Karone to go. She is scared enough already..."

"Maybe you should try to talk to her," Ashley said. Andros shook his head, "Why not Andros?"

"I don't want to do anything to ruin my relationship with her," Andros murmured softly. Ashley immediately understood, but still. "I just don't want her to get hurt,"

"Want me to talk to her?" Ashley offered.

"Its ok," Andros said, kissing her again on the lips. "Thank you th-," alarms interrupted Andros from completing his thanks. "Looks like we found something," Andros murmured, clicking a few buttons. Andros sighed deeply; it was still in the same school that he was in years ago. He felt Ashley rubbing her hand on his neck, and he let out a sigh. "Ash...I really wish that you would just let me go alone..." Andros murmured. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you,"

"Nothing is going to happen Andros..." Ashley said, grasping his hand.

"Lets go," Andros said, reluctantly letting Ashley follow along. "The school is primarily based on a planet a couple lightyears away," Andros said. "If we shut that down, we can shut down all the schools if there is more than one," Andros explained as they reached the rest of the team.

"The school is up isn't it?" Karone questioned.

"Karone...we are heading for the school..." Andros started. "I really wish you would stay here," Karone shook her head.

"I want to make sure that no one else has to go through what you...and Celestra went through," Andros admired his little sister's bravery. Zhane let go of Karone for a moment, and she pulled Andros into a hug. "I don't want to stay by the sidelines..." Andros squeezed her gently against him.

"Stay by me or Zhane...I don't want you to get hurt," he said as the Mega Ship started to near the planet. Karone nodded her head, and went by Zhane once again. As the Mega Ship neared the planet, each of the rangers got to their color coordinated spot, and shot down the teleporter. They arrived on the planet in their ranger uniforms. "Keep your eyes sharp," Andros commanded, making sure he was in arm's reach of each ranger. As they continued to walk towards the direction of the school. Andros felt something coming. "I want you guys to go back to the-," before he could finish his command, the other rangers were forced to pull away from Andros and they were pulled away into two different portals.

"NO!" Andros growled, attempting to follow them in through one of the portals. He couldn't lose his friends and family. Andros shot towards the school. He wasn't going to be kind to those that took them away...


	36. Chapter 36

_Thank you so much Rah, you pretty much wrote this whole chapter for me! You are so awesome! Anyways, enjoy the last chapter! (sequel will be up soon!)_

TJ let out a soft groan as his eyes painfully opened up. What the hell happened to them? TJ reached up to rub a hand on his face, and looked around at the surroundings. He saw Karone, Zhane, Cassie, and Carlos on the floor. There wasn't any sign of Andros or Ashley anywhere. He crawled over to Carlos; who was closest to him at the moment, and started to shake him awake. "Carlos," his voice sounded hoarse, even to his own ears. Carlos started, and shook his head.

"What's going on?" he coughed, bringing a hand up to his eyebrow. Whoever took them, had been rough. The black ranger didn't wait for TJ to respond; he went over to the fallen pink ranger. "Cass," he mumbled, lifting her head up from the ground and placing it on his lap. "Come on...wake up," he said, gently shaking her. "Cassie..." he murmured, placing his lips on her forehead.

Feeling his lips on her forehead, Cassie finally woke up. "Oww..." she said, as her eyes opened up. She had tried to sit up, but Carlos lightly restrained her. He looked at her face, and frowned lightly.

"Looks like you might have a slight concussion," Carlos grunted. "Don't make any quick movements..." he suggested as he lightly, brought her up into his arms. As Cassie tried to make control of her surroundings, TJ managed to bring himself up to his feet and headed for Karone and Zhane. Zhane felt himself wake up, and heard footsteps heading for him. He was in unfamiliar territory, and he felt danger everywhere.

"Its just me," TJ said, when he saw Zhane's body tensed up. He opened up his eyes, and saw TJ looking disheveled. "I don't know where we are," TJ said before he could ask. Zhane looked over towards Karone, and she was close enough to grab onto her hand.

"Karone..." he murmured. She looked extremely pale, "Karone..." he said again. He brought her into his arms, and felt she was warm still. He saw Karone slowly lift her arms up, and they went around his neck. Her eyes fluttered open, and she let out a soft moan. "Take it easy," Zhane advised, bringing her close.

"You ok?" Karone mumbled. Zhane nodded his head, but didn't say anything more. He didn't want Karone to freak out if he told her where he thought they were. Her eyes scanned for her older brother, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She saw that the rest of the team was there, except for Andros and Ashley. "Where's Andros and Ashley?" Karone questioned woozily. Zhane frowned; he had no idea where they could be.

"I don't know..." Zhane murmured.

The rangers moved closer together, all sensing something was very wrong. Suddenly, a light came on above them, temporarily blinding them. Zhane shielded his eyes and was able to make out that the room was almost like an amphitheater. He couldn't tell if there was anyone else there. He reached his hand out and held Karone tighter, just to be on the safe side. From somewhere high above them, a voice rang out.

"Separate them." Panic started to course through each ranger's veins as suddenly hands were grabbing at them, pulling them apart.

"Zhane!" Karone yelped as someone dragged her away from him.

"Get off me!" Zhane roared, trying to fight off his assailant.

Back on the Megaship, Andros appeared on the bridge. His heart was pounding in his chest and he could barely breathe. Ashley walked around a corner to see him there, furiously fiddling with buttons.

"DECA, track that portal," he ordered, not taking his eyes off the console.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked.

"Someone...kidnapped the others...I have to...I have to find them...stop them...I..." he rambled, trying to focus but failing. Ashley reached a hand out and took his in hers.

"We'll find them together," she said as calmly as she could. One of them had to keep a level head if they were going to get anything done. Andros tried to take a calming breath, but all he could think that Karone and the rest of their friends were at the place that had almost killed all the humanity in him. "Andros..." Ashley said.

"I know," he snapped at her. "I just need to get them out of there...fast..." the fear he was feeling was slowly being replaced by rage. He was going to kill every last one of those bastards that harmed him, and now the possibility of hurting the rest of his family. "When we find them..." Andros started, "I want you to stay here," Andros grunted.

"No Andros...our friends, are down there. I am not going to let you face those asshole who did what they did to you by yourself," Ashley argued, starting to loose her cool. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed Andros' hand. "Look...I know what you have to do if you find them...but you can't go alone. Let me help you help our friends..." Andros sighed; he really didn't want Ashley in danger more than any of the others.

"Ok..." Andros broke down. "But when we find the team...you get them and yourself out of there..."

"Only if you are there with us..." Ashley murmured softly. Andros just shook his head, and continued to search for the portal.

Back through the portal, the Rangers were pulled, kicking and screaming from the arena-like room. As soon as they passed through the doorway they were blindfolded. Zhane could hear the blood pumping in his ears as he tried to fight his way free. No matter how hard he tried, the grip on his arms just got tighter. He thought he heard someone laugh behind him and his head snapped around wildly, trying to find the source.

"Who's there?" he called but got no answer. Finally they stopped moving and Zhane was shoved against something cold and hard; it felt like stone. He was still blindfolded as he felt something cold and metallic connect with his wrists.

"Let me go!" he shouted. His protest was met with a stinging sensation against his cheek. Zhane tried to calm down, to keep a level head. It wouldn't do him any good to act irrationally. As he closed his eyes, his ears began to pick up voices. They were faint, almost distant but they were audible.

"They're too old. It won't work."

"They will be conditioned just like the rest."

Zhane's pulse quickened as footsteps drew closer. Before he had time to react, the blindfold had been ripped from his eyes and he was met with cold, steel grey. The person standing opposite him appeared to be a year or two younger than him.

"What do you want?" Zhane asked.

"You." Their tone left no room for interpretation. This was pure torture. Zhane closed his eyes but images of Demios appeared, reviving an old fear within him.

In another room, Cassie found herself dodging swing after swing of a long blade. She dove out of the way just in time. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she spotted a sword lying an arm's length from her. Moving as quickly as she could, she reached for it and blocked her assailant's next blow.

"What do you want with us?" Metal collided and she took a step back. He gave no answer, just another blow.

Not far away, TJ and Carlos were staring at each other. They'd been instructed to fight the other but neither moved. TJ's eyes widened as one of their captors approached Carlos from behind.

"Look out!" TJ yelled. Carlos turned just in time to get hit was a hot iron. He let out cry of pain and fell to the floor, cradling his singed forearm. TJ started to run to his friend's aid when the man lunged at him. He barely escaped.

Back on the Megaship, Andros had finally located the portal. His features were etched in determinism. Ashley thought she saw a hint of Demios flash in his eyes as he started for the teleportation room. She followed after him, half expecting him to protest. He said nothing. They transported to the planet and landed a meter in front of the portal.

"There." Ashley gripped his wrist as they walked towards it. In seconds they'd been pulled through the fabric of space and time, landing in a very famliar place. Andros pulled out a scanner.

"They're inside."

"Let's go."

"Keep an open link with the ship. The minute you see anyone, lock on and get them out. And then get yourself out." His tone was so commanding, all she could do was nod her head. They moved through the facility together, going room by room. Each step sent waves of memories crashing down on Andros but he did his best to block them out. He had to stay focused on his task; saving his friends. His scanner started to beep, signaling they had found a lifesign.

"Wait," he hissed. They watched as a figure walked out of the room. Andros' eyes narrowed as the figure continued down the hallway. Andros darted into the room to find Cassie, alive but wounded. Her eyes opened slowly and she forced a weak smile.

"You found us." He nodded and together, he and Ashley helped her out of the room.

"You have to be quiet," he told her as they reached another room. They could hear muffled groans coming from within. Andros left the girls leaning against a wall and snuck inside. Zhane was still chained to the wall, his body slack. There appeared to be no one else in the room but Andros knew better. He listened for the subtle thump of a heartbeat and spun, sword drawn. The figure appeared, looking shocked to have met the edge of Andros' blade.

"I should have known it was you." Andros let another blow come down, crippling the young woman before him.

This process continued until they had found everyone but Karone. Andros had left a wake of slain bodies behind them but he didn't care. He turned to Ashley.

"Get them out. I will find Karone and meet you back at the ship."

"But-"

"Go." In a mass transport, she and the other Rangers disappeared. Andros let out a slow breath and turned his attention to finding his sister. His task was made easy, almost too easy, by the loud screams coming from his right. He burst into the room to find a man, perhaps a year or two older than Andros forcing himself upon her.

"Get away from her, now." The man looked up, almost glad to see Andros there.

"Took you long enough."

"You're going to drown in your own blood."

"What a large threat, from such a small hack."

"Your comrades are dead. Don't underestimate me." Karone looked out through bleary and swollen eyes at her brother, sword stained with blood.

"You would fight me here...in front of her?"

"I'll fight you anywhere, you sadistic fool." The other man drew his sword and they faced off. Andros seemed to glide around the room, as if his feet weren't even touching the floor. He avoided the other man's sword with ease.

"You're stalling." It was a deliberate taunt. Andros just shook his head and swung his blade. It sliced through his opponent's gut, sending him stumbling backwards. Andros caught sight of the fresh blood and something in him snapped. He lunged at the man, swinging blow after blow until his opponent was nothing more than shreds of flesh and bone. He took a moment to clean his sword before releasing Karone.

"I've got you," he whispered, his tone as gentle as if he were cradling an infant. He led her out of the room and transported her back to the ship. He looked around and ran through the facility, pulling out conduits and power relays. He reached the entrance, set his astro blaster to the highest setting and fired. The blast hit a stripped wire and the entire building went up in flames.

Back on the ship, Alpha had just helped Karone into a bed and was tending to her wounds when Ashley ran in.

"Where's Andros? He said he would come back with her?"

"I don't know Ashley. Karone appeared but there is no sign of Andros." Ashley could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she ran out of the infirmary. She made it to the teleportation room when a figure appeared, covered in soot and ash.

"Ashley, where are you going?" She turned around and flung herself at him.

"I thought something happened to you."

"Nothing happened to me. I'm fine. The school's gone for good. We're all safe." He just held her for a while before she led him to the infirmary.

"How is everyone, Alpha?"

"Ay yi yi. I can treat most of their wounds but...they suffered a lot."

"I know they did, Alpha. I'm going to help them. We'll get through this...as a team."

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